


Bachelor In Paradise: Voltron Edition

by legacy_moon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, Langst, M/M, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn, all the lotura angst, and allurance angst, and klance is endgame of course, get ready is all im saying, kangst, klangst, so just, this is about to get intense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2019-07-16 05:32:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 27,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16079459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legacy_moon/pseuds/legacy_moon
Summary: Were you upset with the game show episode? We'll you're not alone! Join me in my rewrite of that episode in this extensive version of Bachelor In Paradise: Voltron Edition, where we take a look into Lance's double crush, how Keith really feels about Lance, and how Allura is dealing with her break-up with Lotor! All while Pidge and Hunk sit on the sidelines and watch the drama unfold.





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Just so you know, I'm planning to update at least once a week, I might stutter from that a little bit but I want to keep this going. I'm really excited to write this so yeah~

A/N: please, enjoy the Game Show episode, but Bachelor In Paradise ~legacy_moon

***

Warmth. That was the first thing Lance felt. It was almost unfamiliar, and it took him a few minutes to realize that he did recognize the feeling. The Sun. It was the Sun. 

Lance's eyes slowly opened and he felt around him. 

He wasn't in his lion?

That was the last place he had been. He looked around his new surroundings. 

He was tucked under soft white sheets, in what seemed to be a bungalow. There were windows all in front of him, allowing the sun to shine across glittering water. The soft sound of waves crashing onto the shore greeted Lance's awakening. 

There was a bathroom to the right on him, and a wooden door to his left. Next to the door was a dresser wooden dresser. He sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes and smiling slightly. He gazed out the window to the water. 

"What the quiznak?" He mumbled. Was he dreaming? 

He slid his legs off the bed to the side, greeted with cold tile. He looked to the beside table, and a single card waited for him there. He picked it up hesitantly, opening it and reading. 

"Lance, please make your way to the Rose Ceremony Room, ~Bob"

Lance then stood and looked down. 

He was dressed in a white t-shirt and blue swim trunks. 

Wait a second, Rose Ceremony Room?

Okay, Lance had spent enough time with his Mamá and his hermanas to understand what that meant. And blue swim trunks? If Lance wasn't mistaken, he was on Bachelor In Paradise. Which, made no sense, since he was in space the last time he checked. 

He just shook his head walked toward the door, slipping on the blue flip-flops he found by it, and then opening the door. As he stepped out of the room, he immediately was hit with the smell of the sea water. It took everything in him not the run and just jump into the water, and allow the waves to crash over his body. 

He took in a shaky breath and kept walking down the rock stairs, looking at the tiki torches lining it. He also took noticed to the cameras, and that really gave him the final clue, if not his surroundings, that he was on B.I.P.. Which he didn't know if he should be excited or worried. Would his Mamá be watching this? 

As he took a left and went down the path, unsure of where he was going really, he heard voices.

"I don't /care/ if we're waiting for Lance, I was answers /now/." Keith. Keith was here?

"Just calm down, he's on his way." A voice Lance didn't know. 

"Do you know how long Lance sleeps, he's like a Koala." Pidge. Pidge was here too. If Keith and Pidge were here, then surely Allura and Hunk were too.

Lance entered the room they were in, all of them standing furthest from him where the people usually stood when receiving roses. Sure enough, Keith, Pidge, Hunk, and Allura. 

"See, there he is. Lance!" 

Lance turned to greet the person who said his name. He looked at the frog-like creature, dressed in a suit and sat in what appeared to be some sort of floating seat. Lance raised an eyebrow. 

"And you are?"

"Bob. Pleasure to have you on our show!" The frog smiled and blinked at him expectantly. 

"I'm sorry, how did I get on Bachelor In Paradise again?" Lance replied, looking back at the alien with the same expectant look.

Bob was about to say something, but Hunk spoke first.

"Oh, I knew this place looked familiar!" Hunk exclaimed. He turned to Allura, Pidge, and Keith. "Bachelor In Paradise is an Earth TV show. It takes individuals from the companion shows Bachelor and Bachelorette, and places them in a paradise setting to see who falls in love with who."

Allura wrinkled her nose. "That sounds horrible, forcing people to fall in love by putting them in romantic situations. Real life is /never/ this pleasant." She replied and looked around at her surroundings. 

Lance couldn't help but beam a little when she acknowledged that it was beautiful. She liked this environment like Lance did. 

He took in her appearance. 

Her hair fell against her shoulders, contrasting against her dark skin. Her bright blue eyes still studied the environment. She wore a purple t-shirt and Lance couldn't see any bottoms, which meant she was probably in her swimsuit. The sunlight lightened up the room, brightening her whole being up even more. She was absolutely breathtaking.

Maybe they could go swimming together today. Lance was ever so hopeful. 

"Lance, would you please go take your place next to Keith," Bob intervened Lance's staring, blinking again at Lance expectantly. Lance just nodded and walked over to Keith. Keith eyed him, but then averted his gaze. Lance looked at him. 

Keith was in a gray t-shirt and red swim trunks. His mullet looked the same as always, and his violet eyes sent a cold glare to Bob. The sunlight seemed to encompass him. If Lance didn't know better, he would say Keith was just as breathtaking as Allura. But of course, Lance just swallowed down his feelings and looked to Bob. 

"Welcome, everyone! We're so happy to have you on our show. You're all here because some of our viewers seem to be unhappy about how certain things are turning out." He looked into the camera that Lance just noticed was there. Nothing Bob said made any sense to any of them. 

"Viewers? How things are... turning out? You mean romantically?" Pidge questioned. 

"You'll just have to see," Bob said, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Now, the objective on the show is to find your future! Who are you destined to be with? Who are you drawn to? Who do you need?"

Why Bob looked at Lance the whole time, Lance didn't know. Maybe it was because he was the lover boy of the group. But he also couldn't help that he felt that he was being targeted somehow. 

"Now, at the end of the week, three of you will have roses to hand out, and tomorrow someone new will show up with a date card and will take one of you out. Enjoy your time here!"

With that, Bob sped away using his floating seat, leaving the Paladins alone. They stood in silence for a few minutes, just processing everything. A romantic reality TV show? Who thought they would end up here? 

Keith let out a groan of frustration. "This is so stupid. We have things to do that are more important than finding 'true' love."

"Woah, Keith. Maybe this is a good thing," Lance replied. Everyone shot him a glare. 

"Explain to me how this a good thing," Keith practically growled out, anger evident. Lance took a step away from him, holding up his hands defensively.

"I'm just saying that maybe we need a break, maybe that's what this is."

"This isn't 'a break', Lance. It's the last thing we need right now. Romance just causes extra unneeded stress in life. We don't know anything about this place, we don't even know if it's real," Pidge replied, pushing their glasses up their nose. 

Lance just looked at all of them, and then looked down. He knew he was here for a reason, they all were. Something was going to happen, and if he knew anything about Bachelor In Paradise, he knew that things were going to get messy. Yeah, romantically messy, but it would also put their friendships in jeopardy as well. 

He then looked out the back of the open room to the shore the sun appearing to be setting. So it was the afternoon. Dully noted. The urge to swim surged up in him again. 

Something must've clued Hunk in on that because soon enough he was encouraging him. "Go ahead Lance, we'll join you out there soon." 

He didn't need to be told twice. Lance ran. He ran down the rock steps, past the bar, past the set up beds, past the hot tub, and straight to the water. Half way to the water, he threw off his shirt. And when his feet hit the water, stopped. His breath caught. Another wave crashed lightly on the shore, hitting lance's feet and ankles. 

"Don't stop!" Hunk shouted at him, now running toward Lance. The Cuban boy's face brightened as he turned to his friend who crashed into the water. He laughed and traveled further into the water. As another wave came, he dove under the water. It swarmed him, surrounded him. /You're home/, it seemed to say. 

But part of Lance knew that was a lie. This wasn't home. This was a game. 

Still, Lance allowed himself to enjoy it a little bit longer before coming up for air, another wave hitting his back. 

Despite the circumstances, Lance had hope. Maybe this whole thing was the universe telling him that Allura and him were destined to end up together. 

Or maybe things wouldn't turn out what he wanted them to be.


	2. Safety

Lance spent about an hour in the water before making his way up to the bar. 

He was fairly shocked to see Shiro standing there, pouring a thick brownish liquid into a cup in front of Pidge.

"Oh, hey Lance!" Shiro greeted cheerily. "You want something to drink?"

"Shiro? What are you doing here?" Lance questioned, sitting down.

"What, you think you and the other paladins were the only ones who got dragged out here?" Shiro ran a hand through his white hair, giving Lance a cheerful smile. "Besides, I'm just the bartender, so I'm basically here for the drinks right?"

"Did someone say drinks?!" Coran popped out of nowhere from below the counter, causing Lance to jump. 

"Coran!" Hunk exclaimed, coming up behind Pidge, a towel around his body. "Shiro!"

They both waved. 

"This is way too crazy," Lance stated. He thought for a moment. "What do you have to drink?"

Shiro narrowed his eyes. "Nothing too heavy, Lance McClain."

"Aww, Shiro! I /knew/ there was a downside to having you as the bartender."

"He's not the only one! With me and Shiro here, we'll keep all of you in check," Coran replied, pouring a purple liquid into a clear glass and setting it in front of Lance. "Now Shiro here might not know all the drinks and what to avoid, but I'll be sure to help him out!"

Lance picked up the glass and sniffed. It smelled nice enough. He took a drink. It caused his tongue to tingle, and for a second, Lance feared for his ability to speak. But soon enough the tingling went away and he took another sip.

His eyes trailed across everyone, Pidge seeming to not really enjoying the thick brown goop in their glass (it kinda looked like chocolate syrup), and Keith was now next to him. Wait when was he next to Keith? 

"Hey man, what does yours taste like?" Lance asked, looking at Keith and the red beverage in his glass.

Keith hesitated for a second. "It's kind of spicy."

"Spicy?" Lance laughed. "What kind of drinks are spicy?"

"Well, I don't know! You asked and that's just how it tastes. Try it for yourself." Keith shoved the glass over to Lance and grabbed Lance's out of his hands. "I'll try yours."

"Well, okay." Lance picked up the glass and looked at the drink. He looked back at Keith, who was waiting for him. He took a drink. 

Keith was right, it was spicy. He made a shocked face, causing Keith to actually laugh a little. It was small, but it was there. Once again, Lance swallowed down his feelings. He gestured to his glass. 

"Your turn buddy."

Keith eyed the purple liquid suspiciously and took a drink of it. After a few moments, he looked at the other boy with worry and pointed to his tongue, eyes wide.

Lance chuckled. "Don't worry, it'll go away." He turned to look at Pidge, only to find Pidge was gone. Shiro was cleaning out their glass, and Coran was just looking at all the drink options available.

Keith relaxed, his face softening as he took his drink back. "You want to go sit on the couches?" 

Was Keith actually offering Lance to go sit with him? To spend time with him?

"Uh, actually I was going to find Allura."

"Oh." Keith looked down. "Well, good luck getting to her, after you left the rose room she fled to her room in a hurry and hasn't left since. I think she was embarrassed."

"Embarrassed, why?" Lance asked, now on edge a little.

"Well, the princess doesn't exactly wear bikinis now does she? It was really the first time we ever saw her legs. She probably doesn't feel safe." Then Keith stood and made his way down a few steps and to the lounge area. 

How did Lance not even notice that? It really had been the first time. I mean, yeah he saw her shape but her actual skin? How could he have been so oblivious to that fact? /Of course/, she would've been embarrassed. 

Lance watched Keith go and after a moment of decision, stood and followed him. He took another couch though, instead of taking Keith's space. He didn't know how the samurai would feel about that. 

"Did you enjoy swimming?" Keith asked, looking out to the water. The fire from the torches was brighter now, the sunset nearly complete. The fire brightened one side of Keith's face, the other side darkened by the falling night. Lance almost forgot to answer he was so captivated, but then Kieth turned to look at him, and he came back to himself.

"Yeah, I've definitely missed the water."

Keith hummed and moved to lay down. Lance waited a moment more before speaking. 

"You seem a lot calmer than before." 

Keith looked to Lance again, then nodded. "Yeah, I went on a bit of a hike. I wanted to see how far out this place goes. I got about a mile out before I was suddenly transported back to the bar area."

How Keith-like. He really was the type to find out everything, and he especially wanted to get out of here. 

"So, that means we're stuck here?" 

"Well..." Keith sat up again and moved a little closer to Lance so now they were both at the edge of the couches they were sat in. "There's got to be some kind of a catch. We can't leave here now, but somehow, some way, someone is going to do something. And that something is going to cause this game to end."

"You mean everyone getting some kind of romantic interest?" Lance asked, eyebrows raised. Keith's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms.

"Not necessarily."

"You do realize the objective of the show, right?"

"It's stupid, Lance! This whole thing. Did you listen to a word Bob said? Viewers? Who you need?" Keith was getting tenser, his shoulders showed it the most.

"If you're so nervous about everything then why were you so calm earlier?" Lance asked, getting a little defensive.

"I just realized there's no point going through this with a clouded head." Keith just shrugged. "Besides, we're safe here. There's pretty much no danger as far as I'm aware of."

"Let me guess, you also did a perimeter check?"

"Shiro went with me too." 

Lance just chuckled and stood. "Well, as much as I would love to hear about that, I'm gonna go hit the hot tub." 

Keith stood too, and just stared at Lance for a few seconds, blinking. "Uh, would you like someone to go with you?" 

Was Keith offering to spend more time with him again?

"Uh, I think I'd like some alone time. Thanks though." 

"I just wanted to make sure, so that everyone feels and stays safe. I don't trust Bob," Keith spoke quickly, then exited so fast that Lance didn't even have time to respond. 

Lance just shook his head. Weird, Keith being concerned about his safety. Maybe the others didn't feel safe at all, but this whole area was what Lance was comfortable with. The beach, the sea. Paradise. 

He just made his way over to the hot tub, and when he reached there, he saw Allura. Her eyes were closed and her head was resting against her arm that was laying against the ledge. She was in a bathing suit. 

Lance didn't know what he should do. 

Should he leave her alone? Should he join her? 

Before he could decide, Allura's eyes fluttered open and she looked at him. Her cheeks flushed, but whether it was from the heat of the water or Lance being there, he couldn't tell. 

"Oh, Lance, I-"

"No, I'm sorry Princess I'll leave." He turned to walk but she called after him.

"Wait! No. I'm sorry, I was just enjoying the waters. I'll be the one to leave."

Lance turned around. She stood, and Lance immediately blushed. Her white bathing suit was vibrant against her dark skin. The water rolled down her stomach, her legs, her chest. Lance had never seen this much skin from Allura ever. Not once. It was almost, overwhelming. The suit supported her breasts well, but it was also low cute so it was only connected by the bottom band. It was very revealing and so not Allura. 

"Please, um. Enjoy. It's very pleasant." She wrapped a towel around herself self-consciously. Lance realized he had stared. 

"Oh, quiznak, Allura. I'm sorry-"

"No, it's alright. I'll just, be in my room." With that, she walked past Lance quickly, both of their cheeks flushed. He watched her race up the steps, before losing sight of her in the trees. Lance just let her go, ashamed of his behavior, but at the same time, he was just a teenage boy. Still, that was no excuse, and he took in a shaky breath before going to the hot tub.


	3. Shrouded

Lance was once again woken by the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore, only this time it was accompanied by the sweet songs of the birds in the trees. He ended up just sitting up, eyes groggy, and looking out to the window to see the waves cascaded in darkness, as the sun was rising on the other side of the area. The birds continued to sing and the waves continued to crash, slowly waking Lance with their own song, almost as if it was just for him. 

Then there was a loud banging on the door. 

"Lance! Come on, the new person is arriving today!"

"Hunk," Lance whined. "I'm sleeping."

"No, you're talking." Another voice sounded.

"Pidge!" 

"Get up."

Lance just groaned and sat up, looking out the window. 

Last night was rough. After Allura left the hot tub, Lance just thought of a bunch of ways he could've handled the situation better, and he lost a couple good hours of sleep. Which really sucked considering he was in paradise right now. He just sighed and got up, walking into the bathroom to get ready. 

***

"So who's coming?"

"For the last time Lance, you can't know yet," Bob replied. The alien had shown up to introduce the new person and explain the rules to them. Dragging another confused person into this, everyone had to be prepared to help with questions. Now, they were all gathered by the bar, ready. 

Lance looked to Allura, who was two seats away from him.

Everyone was required to wear swimwear this morning, as they were supposed to be swimming and Bob wanted them to so much he was basically forcing everyone. 

There was really only one way to describe her outfit, shrouding. 

She was now in a completely covering bodysuit, it cut off at her neck and her ankles. It was formfitting and tight, but no skin could really be seen except Allura's head, neck, hands, and feet. But she looked happier than yesterday, and Lance was happy about that(even if it was a sin to cover such flawless skin).

Pidge also had a different swimsuit than yesterday. Instead of a one-piece, they wore a swim shirt and swim shorts. Lance agreed that it was much more fitting for them. They looked way better in the forest green swimwear today than the hideous brown-green yesterday. Hunk and Keith were just dressed the same, as Lance was.

"Here they come now!" Bob exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. We all turned our view to the stone steps, waiting for the mystery person to come down the steps. Anticipation hung around us thickly, most hoping for someone, some not hoping at all, some worried. They heard soft steps and everyone held their breath, and Lance prayed to God it wasn't someone he hated.

His prayer was answered. 

"Shay!" Hunk exclaimed, standing up and smiled. 

She smiled back, her yellow eyes gleaming at him happily. A shaw fell gently over her shoulders, covering the majority of the once-piece she was dressed in. Both were white, bright against her gray skin. 

"Hunk!" She rushed forward, and everyone watched as they embraced. She pulled away, confusion now in her eyes. "What's going on? Where are we?" 

"Aww," Bob said, his hands cupping his face. "How cute! The new couple, here to show us how love looks!" 

Shay turned her attention to him. "Who are you?" 

It was then that Bob took the opportunity to explain everything to her. Who he was, what the show was, why they were there, the whole shebang. Shay just stared at him as he talked, face going from confusion to understanding to happiness. She turned back to Hunk when Bob finished. 

"Well, even if this whole thing sounds and looks crazy, I'm just happy to be here with you." Blushes cascaded across both their faces and mixed reactions were seen across the room. Pidge was wrinkling their nose, Keith just looked away, Shiro and Coran were smiling, Allura had her hand across her mouth to keep herself from making any adoring noises, and Lance-

Well, Lance was starting to leave. Jealousy was surging up through him, so he figured he better remove himself from the situation. He made his way down the steps to the ocean and heard some steps behind him. He looked over his shoulder and almost tripped in shock. 

Why was Allura following him?

"Oh, uh, Lance," She moved down the steps and walked with him. "So, I was wondering if you would teach me surfing?"

Lance just stared at her for a few seconds. "What? How do you know what that is?"

"Oh, Hunk told me, and it sounds fun so I was just," She looked down, her voice going soft. "I was just wondering if you could show me? Since you know how."

"I dunno Allura, it takes a lot of practice and work, are you sure you want to? It took me months to actually master it." 

"I want to, Lance." She seemed so sure. 

He stopped walking, just looked at her, and then over to the surfboard rack. They were down on the beach now. 

"Okay then, whatever you want." 

She smiled and they both walked over to the surfboards. Lance picked out the blue one, and Allura took the pink. It made sense since everyone seemed to have their own colored surfboard, as each of the paladins had their chosen color. They made their way to the shore and Lance stopped, setting his board down on the ground. 

"Now, I've never taught anyone, so I'm just going off how I learned. Is that okay?" 

Allura nodded and set her board down. "Why are we not going into the water?" 

"We need to make sure you have good board balance and you know how to lean first, then we can actually get on with the real learning."

She nodded and stood on the board next to Lance. He looked back to the steps, seeing Hunk and Shay holding a date card and beginning to walk along to the beach. Jealousy surged up in him again. To have what they have, a blooming relationship, a /happy/ one. He wanted that so bad. Maybe he didn't deserve it, maybe he did, but he didn't want it any less. 

He turned back to Allura, and she looked at him, her head tilted. 

"Is everything okay?" She asked. He just nodded and smiled.

"Ready for surfing lessons?"


	4. Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the longish wait, this chapter took me a little bit as it is twice as long as the previous one lol. please enjoy~

Lance did his best not to laugh every time she fell off. But it had been hours and Allura would not quit, so Lance kept working with her. He helped her find the best way to paddle out, the best way to lift herself up, it was her balance (which they had spent three hours on and it took them to breakfast) was where she really struggled. Which was normal, for beginners, and Allura was actually learning much faster than Lance ever anticipated, though he should've considering Allura was talented at mostly everything. 

It was only when she had mentioned how she hadn't seen anyone surf before that Lance had the idea.

Lance stood on the shore, waiting for Allura to come down from dinner. He adjusted the tight collar of the surf suit, the fabric clinging to his skin as he held his surfboard with his left arm. He had found the blue and black suit in his room. It looked a lot like the undersuit of his paladin armor, just the Voltron "v" was across his chest it the fabric was different. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on him, making the black fabric heat him up even more. 

"So, I heard you're giving us a special demonstration?" Lance turned around swiftly, startled by Coran's voice. All of the paladins, Shay, and Coran stood together, looking at him.

"Oh, are you all watching?" Lance questioned, looking to each other them.

"I invited them, I hope you don't mind," Allura responded, smiling. 

Lance gulped. "Well, I haven't exactly surfed in a while so it might take a little bit to come to me."

"Come on Lance," Pidge said. "It's okay if you mess up. We won't judge you. Much." They shared a playful glare with him.

"It's just like riding a bike, you just have to remember and then you've got it." Shiro smiled at Lance, giving him an encouraging nod. 

Lance's eyes fell on Keith, and suddenly he felt even more pressure. Part of him wanted to impress Keith, part of him wanted to yell and challenge him to surf. But Keith hadn't even /said/ anything. Just his presence stirred something inside of Lance. A need. To prove himself. To make himself seem worth Keith's time and energy. 

Pidge sat down, just looking at Lance expectantly. He blinked, and then they were all sitting down. Hunk gave him an encouraging thumbs up, the other hand holding Shay's hand as they sat. He turned to face the waves. He set the surfboard down for a moment, attaching the band, which was attached to the surfboard by a string, to his ankle. He picked the board back up and made his way out to the see.

They were fairly lucky that there was good surf today, the waves were full and high, and the wind wasn't blowing too hard. When he made his way far enough into the water, he pulled the board in front of him and started to paddle into further away from the shore. Lance wasn't sure how far he was going to go.

He managed to awaken a lot of his muscle memory when he was helping Allura with her balance by showing her the exercises. He just felt the weight of everyone watching him as he continued out. He had already prepared himself to perform in front of Allura, but to perform in from of /everyone/? He didn't know if he could.

Then he saw it, the perfect wave. The curve was beautiful, the length was perfect, and the height was exactly how he needed it to be. With an instinct that was distant until now, he positioned himself, pulled himself up on the board, and balanced.

And then he was riding the wave. 

Memories came back to him. The memories of him learning how to surf. He had wanted to quit so bad, but his mother kept him going.

 

//"There's no point, I just fall every time!" The small Lance threw himself onto the couch, tears welling up in his eyes in frustration.

"Oh hijo, listen," His mother cooed at him, pulling his small frame into her arms. "If you want to quit that's okay. But you need to think about all the time you've wasted trying to live your dream and never succeeding if you quit. I know it's hard, but falling is how you grow to succeed." 

"But Máma," Lance whined. "I've tried so hard, and it just doesn't work."

"I know." She pulled him closer. "Nothing worthwhile in this life comes easy. Believe me, I know. You didn't come into my life easy either."

Lance chuckled and his mother lifted his head with her hand on his chin. She looked into her son's eyes and saw the dull sadness they held. Lance looked to her for help, for guidance. She had always been the person that was there for him. He knew that.

"As long as you work, hijo, your dreams will come true. You have to believe it in your heart." She placed one hand on his chest. "And see it in your mind." She placed the other on his forehead. "And you have to never give up those dreams, you keep them close to you. And if you wish hard enough, and you work hard enough, your dream will come true."

"And when it comes true?"

"Then you get to find a new dream. And you get to chase after it."

"When do we stop chasing our dreams?"

That seemed to stump Lance's mother a little. She paused for a long while, just holding her son. "I suppose we don't ever really stop, but some dreams just aren't worth chasing when you're older. But you'll understand that more when you're my age."

Lance nodded and pulled away from her. "I understand, Máma."

"Good hijo, I'm glad."//

 

As the wave died out, Lance ended up catching another one, and he rode that one out too. He knew everyone was watching, but it seemed distant now that he was actually riding a wave. Then the new wave left him, and he allowed himself to fall off the board and into the water. It swarmed him, and he wished he could stay under for a long while. But he had to go back up for air. 

He broke the surface, and another wave hit him to pull him under. He reached for the board as his head was shoved back beneath the water surface. He pulled himself up onto the board, positioned himself, and looked behind him. He thought to himself. Maybe he could give the paladins a little treat? He could do some kind of a move. He turned to swim out a little bit farther, to where the bigger waves were. 

He lifted himself up onto the board and rode a wave, he saw the wave just about the curl up ahead and he prepared himself. Riding out the wave he was on, he was now heading towards that wave. His board caught up on the height of the wave, and turn the back of the board up. With the force of his turn and his momentum going on, he had managed to do what he had wanted. 

This trick was one he had worked on for years, and when he finally mastered it, he practiced it all the time. Lance had managed to master the ability to spin with his board in mid-air. There were plenty of surfers who could do that, but for him, it was everything. He could do other tricks but doing a spin and landing was very difficult. You had to time everything right.

And Lance had. He could hear Hunk saying, "Woah", as he landed on the water after he spun. He was headed back towards the shore, close to where the others were sitting. He let himself fall off the board, and he made his way back to the shore. He picked his board up and walked out, water dripping from his frame as he walked.

"So? What'd you think?"

They all stared at him, eyes wide with shock.

"Lance that was sick! I didn't realize you were that good!" Hunk exclaimed, standing up and patting his friend on the back.

"Yeah well, I've been surfing for nine years." Lance just shrugged. 

"I'm sure the waves had something to do with the trick?" Keith's voice suddenly sounded. His arms were crossed. "I mean, I don't know much about surfing but, I'm pretty sure the /surf/ has to be good in order for a surfer to do the tricks."

Lance's eyes narrowed. "So what? You need the skill to ride the waves anyway. Sure, if the surf is good then you can apply that." 

"Still, you can't take all the credit for the trick."

"Who said I was taking credit for anything?" 

"Guys," Shiro budded in. "Enough."

"Lance," Allura called out to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He glared a Keith a moment more, then turned to face her. "It was a cool trick. I didn't expect it at all. You're very skilled at surfing!" 

"Thanks!" He replied happily. "Yeah, it took me years." 

"If you would like to keep surfing for the day, you can. I think I will retire to my chambers to rest for a little bit. I'll be out for dinner though." She smiled at him. 

Lance just nodded. "Okay, I'll see you then."

She waved goodbye to him as she began to walk away. He realized everyone was half-way up the steps to go up to the bar. They must've started to leave when he was talking to Allura. It was then that Lance noticed Keith sitting in the water, allowing the small waves to crash onto him. His t-shirt was a few meters away from him, safe in the sand and away from the water. 

His skin was pale with scattered freckles over his body. His arms were built and his back was toned. As Keith was slouching, Lance couldn't exactly see his abs, but a little bit of his stomach stuck out from the hunching position. Lance just kinda figured he had abs anyway.

He looked out to the waves and the over to Lance, who snapped out of his staring and blinked rapidly to keep the blush from coming to his face.

"You gonna surf?"

"You gonna watch?"

Keith scoffed. "Relax, I'm just swimming." 

Lance raised an eyebrow. "/That/ is not swimming. That's sitting in water." 

"Whatever, it's a part of swimming." He turned his body a little. "Are you going to surf or what?"

"/Wow/," Lance breathed. "You /really/ want me to surf for you don't you?"

"I-" Keith stopped. "So what if I do?" 

Lance froze. Keith wanted to watch him surf. Keith. Of all people. 

"Nothing, I guess. You can watch." 

Then went back out to the water.

It was so weird, how his feelings for Keith changed so rapidly. Two minutes before they were arguing. And now, well. Now Lance felt sort of flustered. Lance didn't really ever /get/ flustered around anyone unless it was Allura, and that was because he's had a massive crush on her since the beginning of this whole journey. But to feel the same way about Keith was weird, but at the same time not. It wasn't like this was the first time he felt flustered around him.

His feelings for Keith came in waves more than anything. He couldn't tell if he wanted them to stay or leave. If they stayed, he often got softer around the other and he could tolerate his comments more just because he was glad he was around him. But if the feelings left, Lance's attention turned to Allura, and he never knew what to do or who to be around her. 

He could always be himself around Keith. 

He was just glad that Keith couldn't see the blush on Lance's cheeks as he paddled out. He could feel Keith's eyes on him. 

Lance surfed for hours, enjoying the waves and the dull knowledge of Keith watching him. He dwelled in his romantic emotions towards Keith as long as he could, even when he looked to the shore only to find Keith standing up. But he wasn't moving, he was waiting. Lance made his way to the shore, and in an oddly comfortable silence, they walked up the steps to dinner together. 

Then the wave of Lance enjoying Keith, liking Keith, wanting more with Keith passed, and the two of them moved back into bickering all throughout dinner.


	5. Soften

Lance stopped for a moment from walking, yawning and stretching. Day three and his legs were exhausted from yesterday and all the surfing he did. All he wanted right now was some good food and a nice relaxing day. 

"Good morning Lance!" Allura's voiced jolted through him. He turned around to face her and put a sleepy smile on his face.

"Morning," he mumbled and yawned again. She didn't seem to notice. 

"You ready for surfing again today? After watching you I think I can get it down!" How was she so awake so early in the morning? Her eyes were bright, her hair was brushed, and she was already in her full body suit. Damn, she was stunning. And Lance probably looked like a sleep-deprived alpaca. 

The truth was he slept fine, he was just awoken by Bob shouting through the door that it was nine in the morning and it was time to wake up since everyone had been awake for an hour.

Inconsiderate frog. 

Lance forced a bright smile on his face. "Yup, just let me eat some breakfast and I'll meet you down there." 

Allura nodded, the smile never leaving her face, and she continued down the steps. Lance sighed and made his way over to the bar. Shiro was stood, leaning against the counter and laughing with Coran. Pidge was sat at the bar, looking positively miserable. Hunk and Shay were just down the steps in the lounge area, which was visible from the bar. 

Keith was nowhere to be found. 

"Good morning, Lance!" Coran said loudly. He set a plate of food on the counter. "You're breakfast has been ready for a while now you know."

"Sorry Coran," Lance groaned. "I didn't exactly want to wake up."

"Looks like Keith didn't either," Shiro chuckled, looking behind Lance at someone. 

"What?" Lance turned to see a very tired Keith walking into the area. 

"I'm gonna kill that alien," he mumbled, walking and then sitting on a bar stool in front of Lance's plate. He would've said something, but as Keith started to eat the eggs and toast (cool thing about Paradise, Earth food!), Lance stopped himself. Everyone had perked up, and Shiro even eyed him suspiciously, but he just sat down on a stool next to Keith and Coran placed another plate in front of him. 

There were evident bags under Keith's eyes, unlike Lance, and it was obvious that he didn't get good, if any, sleep. His hair was a little messy and he eyed the other boy with a sense of anger, almost blaming him for his lack of sleep. 

Lance just averted his gaze to his food and started to eat. 

"Alright, well, I'm not going to sit here and deal with this." Pidge gestured to Lance and Keith. "I'm going to go see if I can mess with the cameras." No wonder they were so miserable. They had no tech to mess with, and it wasn't like they were really romantically interested into anyone here anyway. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Keith asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. Lance found that kind of cute, but he ignored his thoughts.

"I think they're just gonna tear it apart and rebuild it, maybe reprogram-"

"No Lance, not that. The statement before that." Keith sounded annoyed. 

"You both just seem a little tired. Pidge isn't exactly the happiest here anyway, so don't pay much mind to them." Shiro smiled and shared a look with Coran. Lance didn't seem to notice.

Keith blinked. "Whatever, I'm going to go to the hot tub or something."

"Hey, I'll come with you," Lance offered. "I need some relaxing time anyway. My muscles are really sore after yesterday."

Keith's eyes narrowed. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Lance just stared at him. "Uh-"

"Allura?" Keith replied, and gestured to the direction of the beach. 

"Oh, oh! Right, I forgot. Sorry, I'm a little out of it-"

"Just go, Lance." Keith crossed his arms. 

Lance's eyebrows creased. "Look just because you're sleep deprived doesn't mean you get to be a dick. Oh wait, you're usually one!"

"I can't just pretend that I'm not tired. Why would I hide that?"

"Oh, I don't know? To not be a pain in the ass? You don't have to take it out on me, especially when it's not /my/ fault."

Keith stopped. He just glared at Lance for a few more moments before his eyes went soft. Lance's eyes softened too. For the first time, they shared a gentle moment of silence after a fight. They shared a mental apology. 

Lance couldn't take it. He turned and began to walk down the steps to the beach. 

All throughout Allura's lessons, past lunch and past dinner when Hunk and Shay brought down their food, he struggled to focus. It had never been like this. She had always been his center of attention when they were together. His main focus. But after that moment with Keith, he felt something change. 

For once he felt like he and Keith could resolve fights, could make up, could be good to each other. For each other.

Then Allura rode her first wave and Lance's attention shifted back to her. He was right, she learned fast. She never quit. She was good like that. She was special like that. 

Her happiness shined through her face as the ran up the shore and out of the water, leaning down and undoing the strap around her ankle and dropping her surfboard so she could launch herself into Lance's open waiting arms for a hug.

She was absolutely radiant. 

Allura had always been captivating, but there was something about seeing her at her happiest when she was glowing and her smile was so wide and her eyes sparkled that was truly special. Her aura completely changed from captivating to utterly godlike. Allura of Altea was a sight to behold, and one Lance was so honored to behold.

Their hug lasted a few long moments, Lance soaking up every ounce of joy he felt, and then they pulled away.

"That was exhilarating!"

Lance immediately agreed. "I know right! And you catch the way and you feel it beneath the board-"

"And you feel so at home on the wave and it feels so-"

"Amazing." They had said it in unison. 

"Not bad for a beginner," Lance teased. "But wait until you get the tricks down. Those are really fun."

"Well, I can't wait for you to teach me then."

More time was just promised, and it was time that Lance would not turn down. 

The sun was setting on the water, and the land was soon to be cascaded into darkness. They shared a tender moment between them, and both of them didn't even think to say something. They walked up the steps together. 

It was only when Lance saw Keith in the hot tub that his thoughts returned to how they previously were. 

"Uh, well I'm guessing you'll want to change and shower so, I'll leave you to it," He said, turning to her. She surprised him but pulling him in for a hug. 

"Thank you for everything." And then she was gone.

Lance let out a shaky breath, the hug leaving him soft and happy. He reconsidered going to the hot tub to see Keith, but at the thought of him, Lance's happiness only grew.

How torn he was between the two, Allura and Keith.

He took off his white t-shirt and made his way to the hot tub, he dropped his t-shirt a couple feet from the edge and slid in. Keith eyed him suspiciously, then his eyes closed and his head leaned back against the edge.

"Didn't think you'd show up after our argument earlier."

"Pfft, you can't scare me away that easily." Lance sighed and sunk down, his legs stretching until he felt something. Keith's leg. He could totally initiate a game of footsie right now and get away with it because he's pretty sure Keith doesn't even know what footsie is.

But would his flirtatious side allow it at all?

With one light kick, he hit Keith's leg with his foot. Lance watched as Keith's eyes opened, and a glare was sent in his direction. Lance hit his leg again, and a playful smile appeared on his face. He couldn't help it. Once Loverboy Lance was loose, it was hard to contain him again. 

"Stop it," Keith said, but Lance could hear something else in his voice. Suddenly Keith had kicked his leg too. 

And the battle began, they hit each other's legs lightly, sharing playful glances and soft smiles. Then Lance began to slowly drag his foot up Keith's leg, and Keith's smile dropped and his eyes widened. He shifted violently.

"L-lance!" He stuttered out. "What the hell?"

Lance just laughed. "I knew you've never played footsie before!"

"What the hell is footsie?"

"What we /just/ did."

"Oh." Keith glared at him. "I thought we were feet fighting."

"Feet fighting?" Lance laughed out.

"Well, I don't know!" Keith threw his hands up and allowed them to fall and just hit the water. Lance laughed and laughed at him, but the whole time Keith was smiling. It was soft and happy. It was nice. It was the first time that they had one of these moments in a while. 

"At least I didn't call it something like foot-see. What even is that word?" Keith teased.

"It's my favorite game, and you are going to play it and you are going to like it!" Lance shot back, kicking Keith's leg and also splashing him. 

Their arms flailed in rapid motions as they kicked lightly. In the midst of the watery chaos they somehow moved closer to each other, and as Lance's hand flew out to push the water toward Keith, something caught it. Keith's hand. Lance's head had been turned away from him, but as their hands didn't leave each other, his head turned. 

Fear. It was all he saw in Keith's eyes as he stared at their hands, still grasped. Neither of them dared to move a muscle. All that was heard was the light bubble of the water from the hot tub, the soft sound of the bugs in the trees around them and clinking glasses from the bar seemed far away. 

Then he moved. Lance's grip on Keith's hand tightened and he dared to pull him closer. 

Keith softened. His whole being sunk down and he allowed himself to be pulled toward Lance. 

//What am I doing? Is this okay? Is this even allowed? Am I playing some game? Should I do this? Should he let me do this?// 

Keith's head slumped onto Lance's shoulder. and suddenly they were /close/. The skin on skin contact was enough to shock Lance through his core. Suddenly everything he wanted was crashing down onto him, every doubt, every fear wash away and the musk of soft intimate silence consumed him.

Their hands didn't part as they fell underwater and onto Lance's lap. His other arm was now behind Keith's head on the ledge, and he leaned his head onto of Keith's. The silence lasted a few minutes as their fingers played with each other in Lance's lap beneath the water.

"'M t-tired. That game takes a lot out of you." Keith spoke with hesitation at first. Like he was scared to ruin the moment. Lance had been scared. Keith was braver than him. 

"You can go to bed if you want." Lance began to pull away, tiredness hitting him a little also. Keith's grip on his hand tightened. Lance turned to look at him. Keith's eyes were half-lidded, his lips were slightly parted, and his wet hair was plastered to his forehead. His face was lightly illuminated by the hot tub lights. 

He was completely and utterly godlike, a title that Lance once thought belonged to Allura alone. 

But he was wrong. 

Keith was every bit of extravagant beauty that Allura had. Lance just hadn't truly seen it until now, even though some part of him must've known it was there somewhere. 

Then, his heartbeat started to get faster as Keith's spine began to straighten and their heads were growing closer. In a sudden rush of desperation, Keith pressed his lips firmly into Lance's as his spine fully straightened. 

Lance's eyes fluttered closed, and the contact sent a shiver through his whole body. He felt whole and complete. He was suddenly lost in the feeling of Keith's lips, the heat of the hot tub, and the pleasant thoughts running through his mind. His hands went up into Keith's hair as Keith's hands found their way to his nape and jaw.

Then Keith pulled away and Lance chased the kiss for a second. The world came crashing down on them in the quick moments following. Their eyes widened and Lance quickly stood up and got out of the hot tub, just staring down at a flushed Keith, who's eyes were pleading now.

"Lance?" Desperation sounded in his voice. 

What had Lance just done?

Lance just shook his head in disbelief. He reached down for his white tee and rushed away from Keith and up the steps until he got to his room.


	6. Roses

"Lance, perfect, we have a few questions for you!" Bob said loudly as a camera filmed Lance beside him. 

"Uh, what?" Lance rubbed his head. He had just been on his way to breakfast when Bob stopped him for an interview. Was this how it worked on B.I.P.?

"First off, how do you think things are going with you and Allura?"

"Um, fine I guess. She's a lot of fun to be arou-"

"Cool, what about Keith?" Bob held the mic closer to Lance's mouth.

"Excuse me?" Lance took a step back. Keith? How did they know about Keith?

"Come on, we all saw the kiss yesterday in the hot tub. Tell me, was it just a spur of the moment or do you think something could actually happen between the two of you? Hm?"

"How did you-?" Lance's eyes widened. The cameras. He was so stupid. When he flirted with Keith, when they cuddled, when Keith kissed him, it had all been caught on the cameras. 

"Does Allura know? Will she ever find out?"

Allura. 

"I-I have to go." Lance pushed past Bob and made his way to the bar. Shiro saw him and brought out his plate. Lance sat at the bar, staring at his pancakes. He sighed and pushed his plate away from him, laying his head down on the bar's counter.

He really fucked up last night. Like, really fucked up. Why did he run away? Everything was falling into place and suddenly he just got scared and bolted. Now Keith probably hated him. He couldn't face Allura like this either. 

"Not hungry Lance?" Shiro asked, taking the pancakes from Lance with a concerned look in his eyes. He looked really tired.

"No, not really." Lance sat up again. "You look like someone who missed hibernation."

Shiro chuckled. "Yeah, well, I didn't get much sleep."

"Me either."

Shiro was going to say something, but then he fell silent as his eyes fell on someone behind Lance. 

Lance didn't have to even turn to know who it was. He knew that Shiro knew, he knew that Keith talked about it with him last night. It made sense. Keith probably kept him up to talk about why Lance ran away from him after the kiss.

The kiss. Just thinking about it Lance felt all warm and fuzzy. Something inside of him just brightened with light and happiness. But those thoughts soon vanished as he realized what he had done. The opportunity for a relationship that he had probably killed with one swoop of fear and a cowardly action. 

He stood up from the bar and turned, looking at Keith for what felt like the first time in a while. They both dreaded the moments following, Lance passing Keith to go down to the beach and holding awkward eye contact. 

Keith glared. 

"I'm sorry," Lance apologized. 

It wasn't just through eye contact this time. It was mumbled out, soft, gentle, and only heard between the two of them. Lance hadn't even realized he'd done it, but as he stared into Keith's glare an urge of sincerity rushed up through him. His eyes widened and his face flushed scarlet as Keith's eyes widened too.

Then the moment passed, and they went back to ignoring what happened in the hot tub the night before.

***

The end of the week could not come fast enough. Lance and Keith avoided each other like the plague and he spent hardly any time with Allura. He mostly surfed. To avoided people. He didn't even tell Hunk about his kiss with Keith, but Hunk did tell Lance about his first kiss with Shay(he said it was a weird yet enjoyable experience). 

But with the end of the week, it brought a rose ceremony, a fresh person.

Lance had a dull feeling that this rose ceremony wasn't going to work normally. At all. First off, there wasn't an even number of guys and girls, second, Shiro and Coran were dressed up, and third, there were four roses. 

Lance smoothed out his navy suit, making sure his cream undershirt was sitting nicely as well. His blazer was unbuttoned and his shirt was tucked in dress pants nicely. 

"Lance you look fine," Pidge mumbled to him. They looked nice in their forest green button-up and brown pants. It suited them well. 

Naturally, Bob insisted that the Paladins all dress up in their coordinated colors for "theatrics" and for "the people". Whoever the hell "the people" were. 

Hunk stood next to Shay in his sunset yellow suit. He looked very nice, his hair was combed, his skin was glowing. He looked the best Lance had seen him in years. Shay also looked very beautiful, dressed in a lacy light blue dress(all blues were Lance's color but he put that aside), and her eyes appeared to be glowing more than usual. 

Shiro wore a black suit, looking smashable as ever, naturally. He laughed with Coran, who wore an orange blazer and white pants. Lance didn't judge him too hard on that, he was Coran and Coran did what he pleased.

"'Fine', isn't good enough Pidge."

"Why? You trying to impress someone? Hm?" They elbowed him.

"Shut up!" He hissed out. Pidge laughed. 

Everyone was now waiting for Keith and Allura to show up. Bob was looking around the room, appearing excited. Lance was beginning to really hate that frog with every fiber in his being. 

Allura was the first to arrive. 

Lance was pretty sure he stopped breathing. 

Her dress had two folds, both of them overlapping each other to cover a white underskirt. The dress skirt had the pattern of royal purple flower petals, many at the base until it slowly blended into only a few petals around the waistline. The dress had a sweetheart neckline with little flowers decorating the edge. The sleeves were off the shoulder, revealing Allura's collarbones. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, decorated with the same shade of purple flowers as on the dress. 

Her face was glowing with a smile, her eyes sparkled with a twinge of joy, and her Altean markings appeared to be glowing. Perhaps they were from her happiness. Perhaps it was just the captivating aura around Allura as she walked into the room. 

Lance felt insecurity swell up inside of him as he looked at her. He felt like he should leave the room. How could he even be worthy of being someone of Allura's interest? She was a princess, a goddess, a guardian angel of the universe. Lance was just a boy from Cuba. How could he even dream of being the space prince Allura deserved?

Then Keith walked in, and Lance's whole universe shifted. Maroon. That was his suit color. It fit him snuggly, properly, right. He had a maroon waistcoat on too, all the light tan buttons buttoned. His button-up was a light tan as well. His hair was it's usual mullet, his eyes held insecurity. 

His lips were the shade of a rose. That soft pink-red, only noticeable if you looked to them and expected something. The urge to kiss Keith swelled in him as he remembered the last one they shared. His insecurity for Allura fell as he got lost in Keith. He felt safe just looking at him, he felt at home. Lance soon found himself getting lost in the purple color of Keith's eyes. 

His eyes.

Lance looked away from him, a light blush appearing on his face in the soft lighting of the room. Bob appeared at the front of the room. He explained to them the rules. He would pick four people at random to come up and pick up a rose, say someone's name and "will you accept this rose?", and wait for the person's response. 

The rules were simple, but the threat was there. What if Bob made Lance pick between Keith and Allura. If he picked Allura, he would be stuck in a relationship that he didn't know where it was going and destroy his chances with Keith. If he picked Keith, he would forever destroy his chances with Allura he wouldn't even know if Keith would accept his rose or not. How would Keith see the rose? As pity and guilt? Or as love?

"Shiro!" Bob called. "Come on down!"

Shiro sighed and walked over to the small wooden table where the roses awaited patiently. He picked up the first one and look at it for a moment. 

"Coran," He called out, a small playful smile on his face. 

Everyone started laughing. Coran was laughing the hardest as he walked over to Shiro.

"W-will you accept this rose?" Shiro suppressed a chuckle. 

"My good man, Shiro, of course, I do!" He took the rose from Shiro's hand, chuckling.

"Yeah!" Pidge called out, beginning to clap. Soon everyone was clapping, Allura's face flushed with laughing so hard, and Lance sharing a soft chuckled with Keith, who now stood next to him. 

"Hunk!" Bob called out. 

Hunk made his way to the table and picked up a rose. 

"Well, this is going to be obvious, but," He paused and cleared his voice. "Shay?"

She smiled and went to stand in front of him. He held the rose in front of his torso with both hands. 

"Will you accept this rose?"

She blushed and nodded and they shared a soft look as she took the rose from Hunk's hands. They held hands as they made their way back to the standing area. 

"Allura."

A sharp inhale a heard. Her steps were heard from her purple heels as she went to the table. She picked up a rose hesitantly, the turned to face everyone. Her eyes fell on Lance.

She called out his name.

He took in a quick breath then walked to stand in front of her. There was a silence as she looked down to the rose, Lance standing there with his hands fluttering uselessly at his sides as he waiting for her to say the words.

She looked up into his eyes. "Do you accept this rose?"

"Of course."

Then the took the rose, look at its deep red shade and turned to look back to everyone. 

Keith and Shiro shared a look that Lance didn't miss and he looked back down to the rose. 

It was a different shade than Keith's lips. He didn't know if he liked that.


	7. Prince

After last night, everyone had rushed off to bed really fast except for Lance. He had gone out to the beach to sit by the waves, just thinking. 

But this morning, anticipation hung in the air. Someone new was coming. And no one had any clue who it was. Pidge didn't really have anyone alien that could show up for them to pursue them. Shiro didn't really have anyone that Lance knew of. Keith had Axca apparently but Lance didn't know how that would even work. 

So who would show up?

Lance stared at his glass, thinking.

"Dude, you okay?" Hunk asked, walking to stand next to him. 

"Yeah, just nervous I guess." 

"Don't be-"

"Hello, Paladins!" Bob said, coming into the room on his floating seat. "Your new person is arriving. He'll come down any minute."

He.

It was a guy?

Lance's stomach sunk as he tried to think of all the guys that the Paladins could be interested in. It couldn't be Rolo or Matt, and he didn't think there was anyone else except-

Oh no.

An exceptionally handsome man walked in. His long flowing white hair was its same flawlessness as always, his purple skin glowing with pure vanity, his yellow eyes widened with surprise. He was dressed in a black button-up and white swim shorts. 

Prince Lotor smiled.

"Well this is unexpected," He said, his eyes glinting. 

Allura released a cry of pure anger and terror. Lance turned to see her eyes filling to the brim with tears as she stumbled backward, her arms around her torso like her stomach was in immense pain. 

Lance was filled with rage. He launched out of his seat, his shock passing, and he made a jump at Lotor. Hunk caught his arms and restrained him. He fought and struggled against his friend, anger boiling, eyes raging with hatred. 

"Well, I see you all know each other. I'll leave you all to it then." Bob left with a mischevious look in his eyes. Keith, who was behind the bar with Shiro, made a move to go after him, but Shiro caught his arm. Keith sent him a glare, but it quickly softened as he pulled his arm away from Shiro's grip. 

"Everyone," Shiro said. "Let's just keep moving about our day."

It was all anyone could do. Lance tugged forcefully away from Hunk, his anger starting to simmer down a little. He sent a cold glare to Lotor and then walked over to Allura who was stood next to Coran now. 

Her cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes were red and puffy. Her arms were still wrapped around her torso. Her normal shine was gone. She looked upset, disappointed, angry. Drained. She looked drained. As Lance stood in front of her, she looked at him, her eyes pleading a simple message.

Help me.

Lance put his hand on her shoulder. She reached up and took his hand. 

"Come on," He said softly to her. "Let's go sit down by the beach."

Lance put one arm around her waist and held her hand with his other, blocking Lotor from being able to reach her as they passed him. The Galran prince looked like he wanted to say something, but Lance shot him a dark glare. The tension held the room in its firm grasp as Lotor watched Allura walk down the steps to the beach, Lance supporting her along the way. 

Once they reached the waves, Allura began to collapse, and Lance helped to sit her down. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him, tears still rolling down her face. 

"I'm sorry Lance," She said to him, her voice cracking. 

"Why are you sorry? You did nothing," Lance responded, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand.

"No." She shook her head a pulled away. "I did everything. You knew we couldn't trust him. I just didn't listen. I let love blind me. If I could even call it that-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Lance interrupted. He didn't want her bashing herself. 

"But it's my fault he's here." She pulled away from Lance so she could see his face. "I'm the one who loved him I'm the one who they want him to fall in love with." Her voice broken. She tugged her knees up to her chest. 

"Allura, that's not how this show works. You choose who you fall in love with, you're not forced."

"But you are Lance. Don't you remember what he said?"

Lance paused. "He?"

"Bob," She replied, now crisscrossing her legs and facing him fully. "We're here because of romantic reasons. I think Lotor is my challenge, I think he's here to distract me. This show is designed to distract us from the natural world of struggle and into a situation where that's not supposed to exist for romance. In it that distraction, we have to find who were drawn to. Not who we want, but who we need."

Not who we want, but who we need.

Did Lance know who he wanted? Of course he did. He wanted Allura. But was she what he needed? That he didn't know. He wanted to believe that, but some part of him was still attached to something else. Someone else.

"Lance?" 

He blinked and realized he hadn't responded to her. "Sorry, I was thinking about what you said. It makes sense." 

"So, should I talk to him?" She kept her eyes down and focused on the sand between them.

"Already?" Lance was shocked. "Are you ready?"

"I mean, I was in love with him for a while. I don't know what the best way to get closure is, but I don't think that ignoring him would be the healthiest option. I'm angry and upset with him for what he did, and I'm not saying I'm going to forgive him for it, but I don't think that pretending he doesn't exist will make the problem go away."

I don't think pretending he doesn't exist will make the problem go away.

"I-" Lance stopped himself. "I agree. That's smart, I just want you to be careful and for you to take care of yourself. Make sure you're not moving too fast."

She stood. "I'll be careful, I promise." 

Then she walked away. Lance watched her go. She was so brave, so head-strong. She was the strongest woman he'd ever known, besides his own mother. She could take care of herself, but that didn't mean that Lance didn't worry. He didn't know how long he sat out there by the waves, but he had a feeling it was a while. He closed his eyes and just focused on the crashing of the waves, the breeze of the wind, the warmth of the sun. 

Soon, someone came to check on him. 

"Hey man, you okay?" Hunk asked, sitting next to him. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." 

Hunk sighed, looking out to the waves. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lance's whole body was suddenly tense. He didn't respond, he just opened his eyes and looked at the waves.

"I mean, come on man, Keith told me. He said he didn't know why I wasn't acting weird around him, and when I said I didn't know what he meant, he told me."

Keith told him? Keith told Hunk? Keith told Lance's best friend?

"Look, I know I haven't been there for you recently. But someone as big as your first kiss with a guy? And Keith for that matter? Why didn't you tell me?"

Lance finally turned to Hunk. "I didn't want anyone to know. Is that so bad?" 

"Why not? We're all your friends-"

"Because Hunk! It's weird! I didn't expect it, you didn't expect it. It just happened. Besides, I didn't want to damage my progress on Allura and-"

"Progress on Allura? Is that all you care about?" Hunk's eyes narrowed. "You really can't tell if someone cares for you romantically even if it's staring you in the face, isn't it? Keith likes you! And you like him! I know, I'm your best friend, I've watched you have a crush on him for what feels like forever, and you still deny it. You're bisexual Lance. It's okay to have a crush on Keith. It's not weird, it's not like any of us are going to judge you-"

"Hunk you're kind of yelling-"

"Well good! Because you deserve to be yelled at! Someone needs to knock some sense into you. You need to realize that maybe Allura isn't the one for you, maybe Allura was never meant to be. Maybe you need to let go. Didn't all of the pushing away and liking Lotor and ignoring you tell you that?"

Lance stared at Hunk, stunned. He felt hurt. It was like someone had slapped him across the face and he didn't even see the hand coming. Hunk had just snapped.

And he didn't realize how right Hunk was until that moment.


	8. Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Watched the new trailer this morning.... ready to die next season. Also sorry I was horrible about updating but I wanted to make this chapter really good. Also, after my school ends this semester I don't know when I'll be able to write so, sorry if updating is horrible after the 20th of December. Thanks!

Lance didn't go to dinner. After his talk with Hunk, he went straight to the hot tub. It seemed like a weird place to go, but he just sat on the edge, the sweltering steam heating his body as his calves. 

He replayed the kiss in his mind over and over again. The soft pressure of Keith's lips, the skin on skin contact, the pure shock flowing into soft intimacy that had shared. Lance smiled at the memory. What he'd give to relive that moment every day, what he'd give to hold Keith's hand, what he'd give to be with Keith. He'd give everything. 

"Lance?"

A soft, quiet voice sounded over the bubbling noise of the hot tub. Lance's smile softened into a thin line.

Allura moved to sit beside him, setting her feet in the hot tub, wincing for a second, and relaxing. 

"I talked with Lotor."

He turned to look at her. "And? How'd it go?"

"It went...well." She rubbed her arm. "We're going to continue to talk, work things out and really get down to why he did what he did. I came to ask you if we could delay my lessons."

Oh. Lance looked back to the hot tub. Allura let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, I just, I need to do this. I need closure, and if I don't know why he did what he did, why he acted so crazy and deranged I'll have a much harder time moving on from him. And until I do move on from him I think it's just best that I have space to think." 

Lance could only nod. It was slight, it a subtle, but it was there. The princess smiled.

Allura had begun to get out of the hot tub when she looked at Lance for a long second. She leaned over a kissed his cheek, lingering there for a long second. 

"Thank you for understanding."

As night fell, the Paladins retreated to their rooms, but Lance went to the beach. He thought about a lot of things. He thought about Allura, he thought about Keith, but he thought about what Hunk had said most of all. 

Laying on his back, Lance was staring at the dreamy night sky above him. He had always loved the daytime, you could do so many things. When night came, it brought darkness, it brought blindness. You couldn't see anything. 

But Lance saw Keith in the stars. He saw his eyes. He saw his smile. He saw the way he laughed, the way he talked. Deep, natural, bright. Even though Keith came off a dark and brooding to everyone, overtime Lance had seen how bright he could be. 

When he thought about Keith the world was open wide, it was expanding, it was beautiful, spontaneous, adventurous, exciting. Lance didn't feel the darkness when he looked at the sky like he used to. He felt the light of distance suns burning and inflamed. 

He felt what he wanted, he felt what he needed. His heart warmed as he stared up at the stars as if they were warming him, as if what they represented to him was warming him. 

He fell asleep underneath the blanket they blanket they provided, smiling. 

***

"Why am I not surprised? They always did say you liked the ocean." 

Lance woke up slowly, groggily, an almost heavenly voice pulling him from his slumber.

"You know, I should go tell them you were down here the whole time, they've all been worried sick." Lotor leaned over Lance, looking at him intently, obviously amused. 

Lance sat up quickly, scrambling backward. He wiped his cheek, sand coming off if it. He spit, disgusted as sand made its way out of his mouth. 

"Are you alright?" Lotor asked, seeming actually concerned. 

"I'm fine, no thanks to you."

"You aren't seriously blaming me for you sleeping on the beach-"

"No!" Lance stood up, brushing himself off. "But we wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't gone crazy psycho and caused us to lose our ship so we can't recharge our lions and not get lost in space!" 

"Ah, yes, the promise of infinite power can drive one crazy when you look for it for 10,000 years. My bad." Lotor smiled guiltily. 

"Your bad? Your bad?!" Lance threw his hands up in the air and walked away from the Prince, mumbling.

"I do really feel quite horrible for what I did," Lotor said, chasing after Lance. 

"Oh I'm so sure," Lance snapped back, marching up the steps and to the bar. 

"If you don't believe me then ask Allura."

Lance stopped. He almost said something in retaliation, but he crushed by a hug from behind.

"Lance!" Hunk cheered. "We thought you'd been taken."

"Yeah, we thought you were kidnapped!" Pidge exclaiming coming into Lance's view. 

"We thought you died!" Coran popped out of nowhere like he always does. 

"He was asleep on the beach," Lotor said. The group fell silent. "I found him there."

"The beach, I knew we should've checked there first." Hunk released Lance. 

"Glad you guys care so much," Lance chuckled. He turned to face the group, they all looked relieved, even Keith. 

Keith. 

Lance wanted to talk to him, he had thought about what he wanted to say last night.

Their eyes locked, emotions were exchanged. Anger, frustration, guilt. Lance gulp, averting his eyes and turning to Shiro. He'd just have to talk to Keith later when they were alone. 

"Can I still have breakfast?" 

Shiro chuckled and nodded, and the whole group went over to the bar with them. 

Except for Allura and Lotor. They stayed by the entrance. 

"We're going to go talk things over." Allura shared an apologetic look with everyone and then walked away with Lotor towards the beach. Guess that location was taken, now Lance would have to wait for them to leave before he went to go surf today. 

After breakfast, the group split apart. Hunk went with Shay somewhere private to talk with her and hang out, as their relationship had started to take a serious turn. Pidge had a bag full of camera parts that they were now starting to be put together. Shiro, Coran, and Lance sat by the bar, and Keith wandered off to the couches alone. 

Alone.

Lance looked in his direction, nerves pounding through him as he started to slide off the stool at the bar. Without a word to the other two, he made his way over to the couches. Keith glanced up at him, a slight glare in his eyes. Lance almost stopped himself, telling himself that he should just do this another day. But he also knew he had to do this now, or he might never do it. Ever. 

He sat down next to Keith on the couch, glancing at him. 

"Keith-"

"Look, whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it." Coldness. Anger. Fear. He heard it all.

Lance gulped. "I have to tell you, or else I might never forgive myself if I don't."

Keith looked at him, his glare falling, eyes softened. "I don't want to be your second choice."

"Keith." Lance shook his head. "You were never my second choice."

"But Allura-"

"Our first year at the garrison," Lance interrupted. "That's when I started to like you. I've always liked you. And I was frustrated because we've never been anything but mean to each other, and upset with one another. Maybe some light teasing here and there, but it was never how I wanted it. With Allura, I thought maybe I could redirect my emotions, but I ended up just being torn between the both of you."

Lance paused, averting his eyes from Keith. Then he sighed. What was he doing? Did he think that Keith was going to forgive him? For anything?

"Hunk told me that you like me too, yesterday after you told him about the kiss. It helped me realize that this, us, isn't a lost cause. I was just to blind to see what it could be because I thought I had ruined with the way I acted in the beginning. And speaking of the kiss, I'm sorry I ran away from you. I was just shocked and scared and-"

"Oh my God, shut up," Keith breathed out. Lance looked back to him, and there was no hatred in his eyes. "You're rambling. And that kiss was probably the best thing that I've ever felt."

The best thing he's ever felt. 

Lance smiled. "Oh, really?"

"Don't go all cocky on me now." 

Lance chuckled, and then Keith smiled. His heart softened as he looked into Keith's eyes. 

Stars. 

His eyes seemed so bright at that moment. 

In a rush of emotion, Lance leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly to Keith's, causing a shocked breath to run out of Keith's noise. The kiss turned soft, and they pulled each other closer, tangling together and Lance leaned back into the couch cushions, both of his hands in Keith's hair, tugging light. 

Then they pulled away, just a little breathless. Lance's face flushed when he realized what he had initiated. 

"Sorry I-"

Keith silenced him with another kiss, pulling away shortly after. 

"You talk too much."

Lance smiled, and Keith kissed him again, their lips moving together in soft intimacy, trading emotions they had felt over the past week. Guilt, anger, fear, happiness, dread. It all blended into a mutual apology, and as they pulled away again, they pressed their foreheads together. Lance gazed into Keith's eyes.

Stars.


	9. Realities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, uh, season 8 is out huh  
> I haven't seen it cause I'm gonna watch it with my internet best friend when we meet tonight (EEEEEEEEE) but I've heard spoilers. Does the show just end GREAT  
> anyways, sorry I didn't update last week, I wanted to, I'm going to ask my ibf if I can writing on her computer this weekend. Thanks for understanding!

"Oh. My. God." 

Lance opened his eye groggily at the sound of a familiar voice. He started to blink and sit up, but he felt a weight on him. Oh. Keith.

He looked down at the sleeping Keith on top of him, his breathing still soft and even in his sleep. Smiling softly, Lance ran a hand in Keith's hair, placing a kiss on his head which was resting on Lance's chest.

"OH. MY. GOD!" Lance rubbed his eyes and looked to the figure who was standing over him. Hunk was glowing with excitement, his eyes practically popping out of his head at the sight before him. He looked about ready to yell.

"Wait, no Hunk don't-"

"PIDGE!" Hunk called out loudly. Keith was immediately woken up, so startled that he fell off of Lance and onto the floor, groaning afterward. Lance sent a glare to Hunk, who smiled apologetically. 

"WHAT?" A voice from far away called out to Hunk. Then Pidge appeared in the entrance to the lounge, appearing annoyed.

"You just missed the cutest thing ever!" 

"...You mean Keith sleeping on top of Lance?"

Hunk's face turned shocked, as did Lance's and Keith's. 

"You mean you knew?" Hunk exclaimed, looking between the two boys and Pidge.

"I saw them like an hour ago when I was walking around with Shiro. We decided to let them sleep." Pidge walked further into the room, looking at Keith. "Although, I don't remember him being on the floor."

"You can blame Hunk for that," Lance mumbled out, voice groggy. 

Lance sat up on the couch, Keith crawling back onto the couch next to him. 

"Well?" Pidge gestured to them. "Explain."

Lance crossed his arms. "Can you leave us alone, please? I'll tell you later I promise, I just want to be alone with him right now."

Pidge and Hunk shared a glance, then looked back to Lance in a battling stare. Keith just sat there awkwardly, waiting for the friends to end their debate. 

"Fine!" Hunk groaned. "But you will tell us later." 

Then they both left the room, and Lance turned to Keith.

"Sorry about them," Lance apologized, smiling at Keith softly. 

"It's okay, but I have to admit, I was enjoying that nap." The Black Paladin moved into The Red Paladin's arms. Lance leaned back into the armrest and Keith snuggled into him. "Good night."

Lance laughed, placing another kiss to Keith's head.

"No, no way. You are going to stay awake. We need to talk about things."

Keith groaned. "What do you mean?"

Lance sighed as Keith moved off of him. Lance brought his legs into a criss-cross position, facing Keith on the couch. Keith laid his head in Lance's lap, looking up at him. 

"Okay, so talk," Lance said to him. 

"About what?" Keith asked, obviously confused. Lance just rolled his eyes.

"About me, mullet."

"Someone's self-centered."

"No! I mean talk about me as in like, when you started to like me."

"Oh," Keith looked away from Lance's face. Then he mumbled something Lance couldn't hear. 

"What?" Lance asked, running a hand through Keith's hair. 

"When we were on the Castle of the Lions for the first couple of weeks. That's when."

Lance hummed in reply, his hands now playing with Keith's hair. 

"Why did you leave then?" 

Keith froze, his breath turning shaky. Lance's hands stopped. He had struck a nerve for the both of them, and it was something that Lance had been avoiding for a while, but it was also something that he was sensitive about, and something that he needed to know.

"I had to Lance. You seemed so into Allura, Shiro was back, and I was just starting to find out who I was." Keith looked back to Lance's eyes and frowned. "I'm sorry." 

Lance just nodded and looked out to the ocean. "I understand. You had to find out." 

"But I'm here now." Keith reached up to touch Lance's face. He looked down at his samurai, leaning over him and kissing him tenderly. Keith sighed into it, causing Lance to smile and pull away. "And I'm not gonna leave you if you don't leave me."

Lance kissed him again, putting in all his pent-up love and affection, every bit he's ever felt toward Keith into the kiss. Then the other boy hummed and kissed Lance deeper, happiness evident in the movement of their lips together.

Then there was a gasp.

And Lance knew who it was.

He could hear the shock in it.

And the voice was female.

And Shay already knew from Hunk probably.

Lance broke the kiss and looked over to the room entrance. There stood Allura, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes full of shock and a sense of sorrow. Keith sat up quickly and scrambled away from Lance, his cheeks heating up with a blush, which Lance would've thought of as adorable if he hadn't been so distracted.

"Lance? What-" Was all Allura could get out before she turned to run. 

"Allura, wait!" Lance stood and went to chase after her, making it to the entrance before being blocked by someone he didn't expect.

"Stop! For the fate of /this/ reality and your fellow paladins you must stop!" 

Lance blinked at the alien in front of him.

"Slav? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on to repay a favor to Bob, the all-knowing being. Which I only meet in two realities and escape from him!" 

Lance blinked rapidly. "Bob? What? Hold on, what favor? Escape?" 

"Bob is a mastermind of chaos and unbalance. He put you in situations that test the bonds of your friendships and your growing relationships. If you go after Allura, the chance of you leaving this place to continue on your path to saving earth goes down by 50% from its now 75%!" Slav was up in Lance's face now, eyes wide with insanity and stressful worrying. 

"What? Why?" 

Slav stopped, slowly sinking down to Lance's feet and grabbing them. "I can't say, just know that your leaving is tied to a very specific bond forming. A bond tied with love, happiness, trust, honesty." The alien looked up desperately to Lance. "Please! Please don't go after her. The fate of the whole universe depends on it."

Lance glared at him pulled his feet away, then looking back to Keith, who was just staring at the alien with an annoyed look on his face. 

"So you're saying if I don't go after her, then we're on the road of getting out of here, and if I do, that shrinks our chances of leaving?"

"That is correct. Though I will tell you this, out of all the realities you and your team go through, there are many where you end up with one person and many where you end up with another. But in this reality, it could go either way."

"Why the hell does he want to control my life?"

"Not to control your life, but to force you to make a decision, all of the paladins' must make one! Besides the small smart one." Slav cried out and then rolled on the ground in absolute distress. Lance and Keith made eye contact and then Keith got up and walked over to him, looking down at Slav with a wary look. 

"Even Shiro must make a decision, and his will come soon, very very soon."

"How soon?" Keith suddenly pressed. 

"Next week, the new person." Then Slav stood. "You better sort him out before he shows up."

"Who? Whose he?" Lance asked Keith when he saw the other boy's eyes widen. 

"I- I have to go tell Shiro." Keith turned to walk away, but Lance caught his arm.

"Who?" Lance asked again, giving him a confused look.

"I have to go."

The Keith rushed away and up the steps, looking worried and happy all at once.

"I should also leave too," Slav's worry was still evident in his voice, but then he reached up and grabbed Lance's shirt, tugging him down closer to him. He voice went dark and quiet.

"You must be the most careful about your decision Red Paladin. If you make the wrong decision here, /all/ universes will burn." 

Then Slav vanished out of thin air, leaving a new found fear in Lance, and a sudden rush of weight on his shoulders.


	10. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Annnnd it's the 19th, which means updates after today are going to be spontaneous and widespread. You have my sincerest apology for this, but my schedule is about to get crazy as I start to take a college class with my high school's College Credit Plus program. I'll try to update whenever I can and I'm sure I'll find time to.
> 
> Also, I finished season 8, and can I just say,
> 
> not surprised. And every single character deserved better. I'm already working on a rewrite.

Lance didn't speak with Allura for the rest of the week. Every time they passed each other they gave each other soft smiles, nods, glances, but she was always with Lotor. And he was always with Keith. 

Through it all, Keith had been so supportive. He told him that it was okay if he needed time to get over Allura. He told him that it was okay if he needed space. If he needed to talk to her. Keith Kogane was the best boyfriend Lance could've asked for, and they had been only dating for a few days. 

A few days. 

In a way, it seemed to Lance he'd loved Keith a hundred years. Like his feelings just needed to be released. It felt like he'd never been this way with anyone before. There were still so many things to say, so many things to do together, but he already felt so good about where they stood. He knew that it was difficult for Keith to open up, after all, he had always been a closed-off person. But he was /trying/, and that was everything to Lance. 

But today was another rose ceremony. Everyone stood in the room, all dressed in the same outfits as they had last time. Then there was Lotor.

His dark purple suit fit his body snuggly, his long flowing hair was brushed out and practically shining. His skin was fucking flawless which annoyed Lance, to say the least. He had a white handkerchief in his suit pocket that stood out boldly against the purple. 

"Alright everyone, you know the rules," Bob said as he entered the room, gesturing to the table of roses. "Lotor, you're first."

The Galran prince straightened out his suit and then walked forward. He picked up a rose, looking at it for a few seconds before looking at his chosen.

"Allura."

The room was locked in dead silence, only the noise of Allura's heels clicking against the hard cold floor as she walked over to Lotor. He took one of her hands and kissed it, then let it fall as he held the rose with both hands.

"I can only hope that after this week, you've found it in you to forgive me for what I've done. I know that all is over, I know where we stand, and I know that we can never be how we once were. But still, I'm tormented by the wrongs I've done to you and our Altean race, as well as your friends," Lotor paused, taking in a shaky inhale before continuing. He looked away from her for a moment, looking down at the rose. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's alright, keep going," Allura said. She was sniffling, now on the verge of tears. 

Lotor took in another breath before continuing. "You should know that after this ceremony, whether you accept the rose or not, my time will be due for me to return to... where I was. But I must know if you've forgiven me despite me not deserving it. So, if you have, do you accept this rose?"

Lotor had always had a way with words. He knew how to place them in a way to reach people, a way to persuade. But this speech had completely come from his heart. You could hear it in the way his voice had shaken, the way his hands had tightened around the rose. 

Allura was crying, her throat closed on a sob as tears streamed down her face. 

"I accept your rose," She choked out. 

The Lotor started to tear up, smiling as he looked at her. She took the rose from his hand and he pulled her into an embrace. Tears slipped out of Lotor's eyes as he pulled away from her. 

"I wish for you to move on, and find love in someone, love better then what I gave you." His thumb wiped the tears from her left cheek as she bit her lip to hold in a sob. He kissed her right cheek, lips lingering there until he managed to pull himself away. Lotor squeezed her hand, turning away from her and nodding to the paladins. 

Then he was gone.

Allura stood by the rose table for a few more moments, the tears stopping, her breathing calm. She turned and looked at Lance. His breath hitched. Keith grabbed his hand. 

A possessive action. Lance gave Keith's hand a gentle squeeze and looked at him. 

Allura looked away and walked back to her spot. Shiro and Shay rubbed her back comfortingly, mumbling soft things to her as she wiped her cheeks clean of the tears. 

"Lance." 

His name had been called by the alien. He let go of Keith's hand and made his way to the table, picking up a rose. He turned to look at him. 

"Keith," He called out, a surprise to no one. But they had kept their relationship surprisingly private. After the cuddling scene, they chose more secretive places to share their affection, and they weren't very romantic around each other besides teasing when they were in front of the others. 

Keith was in front of him, his cheeks heated in a blush as he looked at the rose. He was absolutely stunning standing there, waiting for the words to come out of Lance's lips. Lips that wanted a kiss. 

"Do you accept this rose?" 

Keith smiled and nodded, taking the rose out of Lance's hand. Lance slipped an arm around his waist, kissing him in front of everyone. As surprised as Keith was, he didn't hesitate for very long to kiss back. It was soft and short, but it was there. 

Then there was clapping and they pulled away, looking at the paladins with a blush. Shiro whistled, and Hunk was practically squeezing Pidge he was so excited. Allura was clapping politely, a small smile on her face. Shay looked so happy.

"It's about time!" Coran said, causing everyone to laugh. 

Lance kept his arm around Keith's waist, kissing his cheek. His heart was pounding, his happiness was shining and he couldn't wait for tomorrow. 

He really wanted to know who that new person was going to be. 

***

"Do I look okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" 

"For the last time Shiro, you look great. Stop worrying too much." Keith stood by Shiro, the former Black Paladin a wreck.

"Keith its been /years/, what if he-" 

"I'm sure he missed you, whether you ended on a bad note or not."

No one really had any idea what either of them were talking about, even Lance. Keith had refused to tell him and told him that Shiro would tell everyone when he was ready. Lance had known Shiro was gay for a while, after he tried to confront him, claiming he liked Allura(which was a memory Lance and washed out of his mind from embarrassment). But Lance never knew Shiro had a /boyfriend/. 

Wait, were they boyfriends?

"He's coming," Bob said as he entered the room, an excited look in his eye, which both Keith and Lance wanted to punch him for. Shiro visibly tensed.

A figure came down the steps, dressed in a white t-shirt and gray swim shorts. 

Brown hair, hazel eyes wide with confusion, glasses glinting in the sunlight.

This time, it was someone Lance didn't know, except for the slight feeling that he had seen him before. If he had something to do with Shiro, then it had to be someone from the garrison. 

All eyes fell to Shiro.

The two males locked eyes, confusion going to shock.

"Takashi?"

"Adam."


	11. Found

Shiro waited for Adam to make the first move. Keith looked to Lance, tension seeming high for him as well. Lance almost didn't really want to move, Adam and Shiro were still locked in a stare. But his boyfriend needed comfort.

Lance walked over from the bar to Keith's side, taking his hand and kissing his cheek. Keith visibly relaxed a little, smiling softly. When the Red Paladin looked back to Adam, his eyes were on him and Keith. 

Lance shifted under the gaze, even if he found no judgement. Keith gave his hand a squeeze, causing Lance to look back at him and give him a smile. Adam's eyes went back to Shiro. He took a step forward.

"I thought you were dead."

Shiro shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"Well, I can see that," Adam replied, his tone getting more and more... angry? 

Shiro rubbed his robot arm awkwardly. It was amazing to Lance how he could go from a big tough leader to a shy awkward mess. Adam had such an effect on Shiro it was amusing. 

"Adam," Shiro spoke his name carefully, "I'm sorry."

Then the anger faded, and Adam looked away from him to the ground. "Damn it, Shiro, I know that. I'm sorry too."

"You don't have to be sorry, I didn't listen to you, I didn't take in your opinion as I should've."

"But you were just following your dreams like you always have. Ever since we were kids you've wanted to be apart of the Kerberos mission whenever it launched. I just-" Adam stopped himself, looking around carefully. "Can we do this later, and in private?"

Shiro nodded and looked to the paladins, who were just staring at the couple. He smiled. "I better introduce everyone anyway." He gestured to the group. "That's Coran, Pidge, Allura, Hunk, and Shay." Shiro made a motion to each person as he said their name.

"Nice to meet you all," Adam said politely, smiling at each of them. They all waved or said hearty hellos to him. 

"You know Keith of course," Shiro said. 

Keith smiled at Adam. "Hey man,"

"Hey, you look so much older and bigger than you did a few years ago." Adam pulled Keith into a hug. 

"Did you have to comment on my size?"

"You were so small and short-"

Keith pulled out of the hug, rolling his eyes as Adam chuckled. 

"And this is Lance, Keith's-"

"Boyfriend," Adam finished. He held his hand out to shake, and suddenly Lance felt like he was meeting Keith's dad or something. He shook his hand, and Adam smiled at him. "Nice to see I helped raise a kid to get a boyfriend like you."

Lance chuckled, pulling his hand away from the shake with a bright smile. 

"Adam!" Keith whined. "Really?"

"What? All I'm saying is I was scared we were raising a straight kid. When you left the garrison which was basically running away from home, I thought it was over." 

Pidge snorted and Hunk held his hand over his mouth as Shay bit back a giggle. 

"Yeah well, you didn't so congratulations." Keith rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. 

"Aw, is someone pouting?" Lance teased, kissing his cheek softly. "Don't worry, I'm sure my dad will be very happy when he meets you." 

Keith looked at him, rolling his eyes. 

"How do you put up with his brooding?" Adam asked teasingly, moving to stand next to Shiro. 

"Oh, it's easy, you just have to know how to make him smile." Lance kissed Keith after that, pulling away quickly. Keith was already smiling slightly. He kissed both his cheeks, his forehead, and then one on the tip of his nose. There, Keith fell completely. He smiled fully, chuckling and looking down. Lance then hugged him, tucking his head in Keith's neck and kissing the skin he found there. 

Adam laughed, smiling as he looked at the couple. He used to have that. He used to have that with Shiro. But that was gone now. That had been lost a long time ago. Maybe it could be found again.

"Hey, Adam. We need to explain to you what's going on, and why you're here," Allura said. He nodded and walked over to her, sitting at the bar. Then she explained. 

Lance didn't wait for the explanation to be over before he was pulling Keith to his room. He pulled Keith down on top of him when he laid down on the bed. 

Keith groaned, snuggling into Lance. "I'm happy Adam is here, he can sort things out with Shiro."

"What happened between them?" 

Keith rolled off of Lance and onto his back, sighing. "Kerberos. Adam didn't want Shiro to go because of his health condition, but Shiro didn't listen. They were engaged at the time, but Adam broke it off. When the crew went missing, he was heartbroken." 

"That sucks that it ended so rough between them," Lance said, slipping under the bedsheets. 

"Yeah, well, it's not the end yet." Keith looked to Lance. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a nap." 

"We woke up like three hours ago."

"We had a late night."

"You wanted to stay up and talk, not me."

"Keith," Lance whined. "Take a nap with me, I know you're tired."

"Whatever," he grumbled and slipped under the covers, snuggling into Lance, shifting to get comfortable. 

Lance sighed in content. He kissed his boyfriend, running his hand through his hair. Keith hummed, deepening the kiss. Lance tugged on Keith's hair and he gasped. Then he realized. He leaned over Keith, his tongue slipping into his mouth. 

Keith moaned. He moaned. Never had Lance ever been able to make someone moan like that. He pulled away, kissing along Keith's neck and jawline. He sucked at the skin on his neck. 

"I thought you wanted to nap?" Keith breathed out. 

Lance pulled up. "I like this better."


	12. Growth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so it's literally 6 in the morning and I haven't slept all night but I wanted to update for you guys so here you go~

Lance traced Keith's face, memorizing each curve, each color, each fragment of it as his boyfriend slept next to him. Keith had a few freckles that danced highly on his cheekbones, close to his eyes. Lance had never seen Keith look as peaceful as he did when he slept. All the worry of the team and the universe seemed to vanish and he could just be Keith. Sound asleep, dreaming happily.

There was a knock on the door.

Lance rolled over a slid off the bed, standing and opening the door.

It was Adam.

Lance smiled. "Hey, what's up?"

"I was wondering if we could go for a walk? I need your advice."

Advice. Adam was asking him for advice? Why him?

"Um, yeah, sure." Lance glanced back at Keith. "Just give me one second." He shut the door and walked over to Keith, leaning over him and kissing his cheek. His boyfriend shifted, opening his eyes slowly and looking up at him.

"What?"

Lance chuckled at his displeased tone. "I'm going for a walk with Adam, you can keep sleeping, I'll wake you up when it's dinnertime if you're not awake, okay?"

Keith nodded and Lance placed a short kiss on his lips before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He faced Adam with a smile.

"Alright, let's walk," Adam said, moving to go down the steps towards the beach. The Red Paladin just followed him casually, the both of them passing the bar. Shirt watched the two of them walk, and Lance just shrugged his shoulders at him and kept following Adam. 

As soon as his feet hit the sand, Adam spoke. "I haven't seen the ocean in so long. I almost forgot what it looks like."

"My family and I would always take trips to the sea. Varadero Beach."

"Cuba, right?"

"Yeah." Lance stuffed his hands in his pockets and dug one of his feet into the soft sand. "This place feels nice, but it's not the same. It's too perfect."

Adam nodded and then turned to keep walking down the beach, moving closer to the waves. Lance walked beside him, the both of them in a sense of peace as the waves smoothed out onto the shore and then returned to the riptide. The sun was brightly shining, the breeze gentle, but enough to calm the heat from the sand at their feet and the sun above their heads.

"Shiro told me about how Keith left." Lance hadn't expected Adam's voice, startled by the sudden words, like they had been waiting to come out and they suddenly just sprung. "He also mentioned how you've liked him for a while."

Lance could feel himself blushing. "Yeah, well, he's a likable guy."

Adam scoffed. "I've never heard anyone call Keith likable before."

"Well, I like him. He's kind, and brave. He's stubborn, but it fuels his determination."

"He's lucky to have you," Adam said, stopping and turning to look at the waves. Lance turned with him and chuckled. Then Adam said something Lance never thought he would. "How did you manage to... forgive him for leaving you?"

Lance stared at him for a moment, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Adam sighed, looking to Lance with an almost guilty look. 

"I'm sorry, it's not even your problem, it's mine. And I know you and Keith weren't together when he left you. But... we have in common that the one we love left us for their own ambitions. Keith left for the Blades. Shiro left for Kerberos. I guess I'm just having a harder time." Adam turned back to the waves. 

Lance was silent for a few minutes, thinking and pondering on what Adam had said.

"I think in my disappointment, I can to an understanding. I'm a different person then Keith, he's different then me. We each have our own dreams we want more than anything. Was it frustrating that he left? Yeah, of course it was, but when he came back? That's a second opportunity to do things right this time. I wasn't even sure I was going to forgive him, but some part of me always knew I wanted him more than anything, and when I put that part in full focus, everything shifted and I forgave him." The wind blew through Lance's hair, rippling his shirt like the waves he watched as he spoke. As the words flooded out of his mouth, he tried to make sense of his thoughts. He hoped they conveyed to Adam in a helpful way.

Adam hummed, nodding his head. "Shiro told me how much you've matured. He said you were a little cocky and arrogant towards the beginning of all of this."

Lance chuckled. "I'm still a little cocky and arrogant." 

Adam shook his head. "No, you're smart. You've learned from your experiences and you help others through that. That's growth, Lance. I truly think that you and Keith will make it through this experience if you stick together. He needs you. Keith has always been one to hide his feelings but," Adam paused, looking at Lance again. "You bring out the best in him."

Lance smiled, and Adam patted him on the shoulder. He felt proud to be the one that Adam had come to talk to, even if it was because they had similar situations that happened. He could tell Adam was very important to Shiro, and maybe even important to Keith.

"I'll take your advice into account, but I think there's someone else coming to talk to you." They both looked down the beach to see Allura walking towards them. Adam smiled at Lance, walking down the beach to the steps, passing Allura on the way and smiling at her.

"Nice, isn't he?" Allura said as she reached Lance's side. He simply nodded, eyes fixed on her face as she looked down at her feet.

"How are you feeling?" He asked curiously.

"I've been better." She bit the inside of her cheek and looked up at him. "How's Keith?"

"He's good, he's sleeping," Lance paused. "Look, Allura, about Keith-"

"You don't have to say anything, I'm happy for you Lance," She smiled out. He could tell it was genuine. "I realize now after Lotor, after you and Keith, you two are better then you and I together. Even though you wanted it and I was willing to have it, I don't think we really would've worked."

When she said it, Lance immediately agreed. Now being with Keith, he realized how Allura was so sisterly to him. He loved her, but not romantically. Not anymore. They were close, but not in the sense that they wanted more. They were content, and they needed to leave it there. They had a healthy relationship now. 

"Thank you, for the lessons by the way. It was really fun," She said, smiling at him still. 

"It was my pleasure," Lance replied, smiling back at her. He bent his arm and gestured to her. "Would you allow me to escort you back up the stairs and to the bar, Princess?"

Allura laughed heartily. "Of course, Lance." She looped her arm with his as he guided her down the beach.

He felt happy. Allura was content with him. Adam was going to keep working things out with Shiro and possibly forgive him, Keith was his boyfriend. Really, this paradise was giving him everything. He loved his friends, the food, the beach.

But the question was, would he be able to keep everything from falling apart?


	13. Depth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: thank you for being patient. Please enjoy some long awaited Shadam!! <3

"How long do you think we're going to be here according to Slav?" Pidge asked, twirling their fork in the spaghetti noodles. Lance and Keith had told everyone about the talk Slav had with them, and everyone had been trying to figure it out for a while. 

"Until a bond forms, I guess." Hunk held Shay's hand loosely, the two of them sitting next to each other at the bar. 

"That's annoying," Pidge grumbled, sighing in disappointment. "We have no idea what this bond even is and what it does."

"Has anyone seen Shiro?" Coran asked out of the blue. "He's supposed to be helping me clean these dishes."

"I'm sure you can clean them on your own Coran," Keith replied, looking towards the steps down to the beach with a small smile on his face. "He's busy right now."

There was a burst of distant laughter that they all heard, and each of them smiled slightly, knowing it came from the beach. They returned to their conversation.

But if you followed down those stone steps, lightly wet from the rainfall that had come just the night before, you would find a sight of love, laughter, a sense of joy. Bright smiles, shimmering eyes full of love and adoration. Peace in two hearts that had known torment and suffering. 

Adam huffed as Shiro pinned him to the ground by his palms pressing into his shoulders, both legs pinning Adam's down. 

"Let's see, that's two hundred and forty-"

"Oh my God, Takashi, that's not even close."

Shiro tilted his head at him. "I'm pretty sure I remember how many wrestling matches I've won better than you Adam."

Adam scoffed. "Right." Then he used all his leg strength to knock Shiro over and roll over on top of him. "And you still fall for the same trick every time." 

Shiro groaned and glared at him. "So what is that, one hundred for you?"

Adam kneed him in the hip and rolled off of him as Shiro groaned again. "Two hundred and twenty-seven, asshole." 

"I'm still winning," Shiro stated, sitting up. "And hey, where's my wrestling match kiss?"

Adam rolled his eyes and leaned over, kissing Shiro's cheek.

It was an old tradition, one they had followed since the beginning of their relationship. Wrestling had been a way for them to get out their childish behaviors before having to be adults and teach classes at the garrison. They had been wrestling since their third year there. 

That was when they were still cadets. 

That was years ago.  
(Flashback))  
//Shiro walked into the room. He laid down on the bed, Adam eyeing him, curious.

"What happened?"

"Samantha asked me out," Shiro replied, rubbing his face tiredly. "I, of course, said no."

"What? You turned down Samantha, the one with the ass?" Adam asked, shutting the book he had been reading and setting it on his bedside table. 

"I don't care about her ass. I don't like her. Besides, when Justin found out I thought he was going to try to kill me."

"He still likes her?" Adam stared at Shiro for a moment, then shrugged. "Makes sense. I bet you're glad you turned her down since Justin would beat your ass."

Shiro sat up and looked over at him. "Excuse me?" He crossed his arms. "Justin would not beat me in a fight, I would beat him."

"Oh please, Justin? The guy with the big muscles and rocking jawline and those sweet abs. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"I would totally win! I have all those things too and he has no technique," Shiro defended, standing up now. 

"Seriously, Takashi, I could beat you."  Adam was now standing too. And then Shiro accepted his challenge. 

They tackled each other, shoving and running each other into different items in the room, a fight for dominance and something more. Adam shoved Shiro into the wall, which Shiro quickly recovered and shoved Adam onto the bed. The gripped each other's shirts and shoved and kicked until, in a final move of triumph, Shiro pinned Adam to the bed with his hands against his wrists and his legs on either side of Adam's hips.

"Ha!" He breathed out, a grin on his face. He realized their position, the softness of Adam's eyes, the smooth curve of his lips, the freckles dotting his cheekbones. Adam relaxed beneath Shiro, just staring into his eyes. A sudden urge came over him, one he had repressed for as long as he knew Adam. 

Shiro leaned down quickly and caught Adam's lips in a kiss, one he had been dying to have for three years. The other inhaled quickly, his eyes fluttering shut as he slowly began to kiss back. It had felt like a long shot to Shiro, he hadn’t even known how Adam would’ve reacted, but it ended up that it was something they both wanted. 

Shiro pulled away, a little out of breath as he stared into Adam’s eyes. 

“I win,” he breathed out. Adam stared at him for a moment before pulling his leg out from underneath Shiro and using his upper body to flip him over while he was off guard. Shiro stared at him, dumbfounded.

“You’re too easy.” Adam kissed Shiro again, his hands on either sides of Shiro’s face. Shiro wrapped his arms around Adam, deepening the kiss. They fell into a rhythm with their lips, the wanting they had left unquenched finally satisfied.//   
((End flashback))  
And that was how the tradition was born. They had continued it for the whole time they had been dating and into their engagement. Their love story was one of beauty and heartache, and the depth that they loved each other had seemed to have no limits when they were younger. 

But the truth was that they had limits. All relationships had limits that they had to break through. Shiro had dreams of going to Kerberos. Adam had dreams of settling down and raising a family. One was ready to move on from the dreams of his childhood to sacrifice everything for the one he loved most, the other was still holding onto the dream he wanted to achieve the most. 

Shiro and Adam had limits. They hadn’t always known them, but they knew they were there. Now that their limits were known to them, they could work through them together. 

When you love someone so deeply that you are willing to do everything for them, anything for them, there is no limit you can’t break. There is no height you can’t reach, length you can’t go, and depth you can’t love. Nothing can keep you from the one you love the most when you love as deep as Shiro now loved Adam. 

He had been blinded by his dreams, unwilling to sacrifice as Adam had been. He could not love Adam deeply enough, and in return, Adam could not love him deeply enough so that their relationship could stay healthy. 

But that did not mean that is was not capable of being so. 

Shiro pouted at Adam when he had only gotten a kiss on the cheek. Adam chuckled and shoved his shoulder, standing up and brushing his swim trunks off, holding his hand out to Shiro.

“Come on,” Adam said, “Let’s go see if the others want to find some supplies to build a sandcastle.” 

Shiro smiled and took his hand, allowing himself to be pulled up. He wrapped his arms around Adam’s waist and pulling him into a kiss, which Adam sighed into. 

Shiro pressed his forehead against Adam’s. “I’m so lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“To have you. And to have you forgive me for not considering our relationship and my health when I wanted to go to Kerberos.” Shiro’s voice was soft as he spoke. Adam kissed him.

“Yeah, you are lucky to have me,” Adam agreed. “And if you leave me again, I’ll beat your ass, we have shit to work through.” 

They walked hand in hand up the steps, arms swinging.

Yeah, they used to have limits. 

But not anymore.

Now, they refused to let anything separate them ever again. 

They were working through their issues, as all couples should, and that was making their limits of loving each other with a depth of space disappear. 

Shiro and Adam’s limits were crumbling. 

But Lance and Keith would find theirs very soon.


	14. Tested

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates today because I was feeling guilty about not updating. My college class has started and I wanted to write today while I had free time. Enjoy, this one was fun to write~

Everyone was in an abnormally good mood.

At least, in Lance's opinion.

No one had truly been content in Paradise since they'd gotten here besides Lance, and even he constantly had a nagging feeling that the back of his mind that they need to get out of here as soon as possible. 

But no one knew what the hell the bond even was.

But after Shiro and Adam had suggested building sand castles, everyone quickly agreed. Their spirits lifted and honestly Lance didn't know how the couple had the power to keep people that happy for such a long period of time. They were going to be gifted parents.

After building sand castles, Lance was walking down a forest path, wanting to clear his own mind without anyone interfering. 

But of course, Bob simply couldn't let Lance have any peace and quiet. 

And of course, he brought trouble with him.

"Ah, Red Paladin, lovely to see you!" Bob exclaimed, a group of aliens walking with him.

/A group of beautiful, female aliens./

Lance stopped and stared at Bob as he reached him. The females giggled as they looked at him, their eyelashes fluttering at him, bright smiles across their faces.

Three Galrans, two Olkari. 

"Ladies, meet Lance," Bob said. "Lance, this is your first test in the game. Can you stay loyal to Keith with these lovely ladies hanging on you?"

"Test? What?! Bob, seriously Bachelor In Paradise never-"

"This is not your version of the show Lance," Bob warned. "It's mine." 

The females stepped forward, two of them linking their arms in Lance's. 

"We'll take him back to the bar and get him some...energizing drinks," One of the Galrans purred, gently running her hand down Lance's arm. 

"No, I'm walking, thanks," Lance replied, pulling his arms away from the two girls. They pouted and grabbed him again.

"You should come with us, we'll show you such a good time," Another Galran whispered into Lance's ear from behind him. 

"No, really... I..." Lance trailed off as he felt hands travelling all over his body. 

God, this was too much.

"Come on, please?" 

Bob watched as Lance became completely vulnerable to the feeling of pretty girls all around him. He couldn't just /not/ go with them, not when they were asking so nicely. 

"O-Okay," He muttered out.

He was so weak.

"Wonderful!" Bob clapped his frog-like hands. "Sylvia, Vestra, Halae, Ustruv, Indes, take him back to the bar so you can... hang out with the others. I'll go ahead to make sure they know your coming."

They smiled and began to turn Lance around to walk him back to the bar. They each introduced themselves to him formally. Vestra and Halae were the Olkari and Sylvia, Ustruv, and Indes were the Galrans. They hung onto him the whole walk there, even when he tried to break away from them. Lance barely noticed when they arrived.

"Ah, they're here! Now, remember the rules everyone, no interfering with the girls and Lance, and give the girls anything they want! No one is allowed to leave the bar area until the night is over." Bob sped away quickly in his floating seat. All eyes fell on Lance at the bar.

"Would you care to sit down?" Halae asked, running a hand down Lance's chest as he stared at Keith. His eyes averted to her. 

"Sure," He replied and smiled at her. She squealed happily and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the bar. The other four followed. They each grabbed a stool and pulled them closer to where Lance was sitting. 

"A Silverbever for the sexy man here," Halae said to Coran.

"But that's highly-"

"Silverbever," Ustruv insisted, her eyes narrowing threateningly. "For the /best/ man here, you insolent little-"

"Easy, we don't want to hurt Lance's...friends," Indes cooed. Coran placed a glass of a lilac liquid on the table. Indes, who was sitting on the left side of Lance, picked it up. "Care to taste?" 

Lance eyed the drink, feeling Ustruv come up behind him. "I better not..."

"Oh, why not?" Ustruv mumbled into his ear. "No one's going to stop you." She pressed her body close to his back, causing him to tense. Indes placed the drink in his hand and guided it up to his lips.

"Why don't you have some fun? Hm?"

He looked to his right, and his eyes found Keith's. Worry was embedded in them. Lance felt so guilty, but none of it was even his fault. 

/I'm sorry./

He took a gulp. 

***

Fingers ran through his hair. 

He didn't remember how he ended up in this position. He had only had one drink. But then his head was in Sylvia's lap as her perfectly shaped claws scratched at his skull lightly. His feet were being massaged by Vestra as he laid on one of the couches. 

The paladins, Adam, Coran, and Shay were all in the room as well, since they weren't allowed to go anywhere else. 

Lance hummed contently as Sylvia scratched a particular part of his head. 

"Do you like that baby?"

He ignored the pet name and nodded. 

"Lance, how are you so handsome?" Indes asked. The other three aliens were on the ground by the couch. 

"Genetics," He mumbled in reply. "But it also takes a lot of work to look this good." 

The girls all chuckled, and Indes gently touched his arm, as she was the closest to his head. She trailed her hand up his arm slowly making her way to his face. She gently gripped his chin and turned his head to her. 

"Your eyes, they're so blue," She whispered. The girls all started to move in closer, Vestra stopped massaging his feet and began to crawl over his body. They all focused in on his face, his lips. 

"Uh...huh," Lance mumbled out, staring into hers as her face inched closer to his own. Her lips were centimetres from his when his eyes suddenly widened as he realized what was happening.

He shot up, knocking Vestra over in the process. He sat there on the couch at what had just happened, as did the others in the room. Keith was thrumming with anger. 

And jealousy.

"What the hell were you just doing?" Lance shot out, glaring at each of them.

"Oh come on, you know you want it," Sylvia cooed out, her words coaxing over Lance smoothly. "You know you want us more than him." 

"What...no! Get out of here, leave!" Lance insisted. "Whatever sick game Bob is playing I don't want to be a part of it."

"Baby-" Halae tried, but Lance sent her a deathly glare.

"Leave!" They didn't move. "Now!" 

Each of them stood slowly and began to walk out of the room. They all looked back at Lance, a look of disappointment in their eyes as he continued to glare at them. 

Then they were gone. 

He stood and ran a hand through his hair roughly, gripping it. 

"Lance, are you okay?" Pidge asked as the group stood. 

He looked at Keith, who had averted his gaze. 

"I think we should leave them alone," Shiro said, placing his hand on Adam's back to guide him out of the room. 

Everyone left Lance. Except for Keith. 

And that was when Keith couldn't take it anymore. He rushed forward, crashing his lips onto Lance's, letting out his anger as they fought with their lips. Lance fell back onto the couch and Keith found himself straddling Lance's hips. 

"Where did they touch you?" He asked. Lance stared at him for a moment. 

"Uh, like everywhere?" He responded. Keith let out a growl and got off of his boyfriend. He grabbed his hand and pulled him up. 

"Follow me," He commanded, anger still evident in his tone and in his eyes. 

"Hey, Keith, hey," Lance said, pulling him back into him. He placed his hands on Keith's cheeks, looking into his eyes as Keith gripped Lance's wrists. "I didn't like anything they did, you know that right?" 

Keith let out a hesitant breath before nodding. "Yeah, I know. Just please follow me."

Lance nodded and followed Keith out of the lounge area.

He didn't figure out where Keith was taking him before they were standing outside of a bedroom door.


	15. Limits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little shortie for ya  
> and no smut yet!!   
> sorry y'all

Keith shut the door behind them. A silence fell between them as Lance moved to sit on the bed. Why had Keith even brought him here? What was he even planning after that?

"Lay down on the bed," Keith said quietly. Lance inhaled sharply and then nodded, laying down in the center. Keith walked over, kicking off his tennis shoes and crawling on top of Lance. The Red Paladin just watched as Keith removed his shirt, and then tugged at Lance's. Once it was removed, he looked up at Lance.

Then he kissed him. But there was something different about this one compared to all the others. It was hungry, full of need and desire. 

But that didn't mean Lance didn't enjoy it. 

It was just that Keith was moving his hands /everywhere/. 

It was like he was trying to remove the touch of the five girls from Lance's body with his own. His hands moved up and down Lance's chest, moving to the side to touch his hips, his arms, and they even went up to his neck. And it all felt so good. Keith repeated his movements as their tongues met, causing him to let out a low moan.

But Lance was afraid.

He was way too turned on way too fast and as much as he was enjoying this, he was afraid to do anything with Keith. Maybe it was the whole idea of being that vulnerable. Keith had hurt him when he left, and Lance didn't ever want to feel that abandoned again.

What if things didn't work out with Keith like he wanted them to? What if Keith left him /again/?

So Lance pulled away.

"Keith, stop," He breathed out. "Stop, stop." 

Keith did, and he wouldn't meet Lance's eyes. "I knew it." 

"What?"

"God, I knew it, I'll just-" He crawled off of Lance and grabbed his shoes, rushing for the door. 

"Keith?"

His hand stopped on the doorknob and he looked back to Lance on the bed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

***

Lance skipped breakfast. He just went down to the beach and grabbed his surfboard. He wanted to feel the water on his skin. Maybe it could wash away the feeling of Keith's hands on him. 

Lance knew he fucked up. He just knew it. Telling Keith to stop obviously had some effect of the other, and he didn't know what it was but he knew he needed to find out. But he also wanted Keith to come to him. He didn't want to pressure him or do anything that might remotely offend him, so it would just be best if Keith came to him first before he made any moves to fix how he screwed up. However he screwed up.

Lance skipped lunch. He just kept surfing. The week would be over soon, which meant a rose ceremony and a new person. He didn't know if Adam was staying, or if it was a situation like Lotor where he would leave. 

Lance had planned to skip dinner. The more he manifested in his thoughts the more he didn't want to see anyone. But Keith came down to the beach with a plate and laid down on one of the beds down by the beach. Lance hadn't noticed him at first, but as he made his way to the shore, he realized that this was probably Keith coming to him. 

"Hey," Lance tried once he reached Keith who was now sitting on the edge of the bed. "Thanks for bringing the food down."

"I, uh, yeah." Keith scratched the back of his head. "I was getting worried since you haven't eaten anything, so-"

Silence.

"Look, Lance if you don't want to date me, that's fine," Keith sighed, beginning to stand up. "I get that if you find girls attractive or more attractive or-"

"What are you talking about?" Lance's eyes were wide with confusion. Keith was questioning dating him? Was it because of last night.

"Well, you asked me to stop when I was doing those things the girls did to you? I thought you weren't liking it," Keith replied, looking down and standing in front of Lance. "I probably should've asked for consent first, which was my bad but-"

"You thought I wasn't liking it?" Lance grabbed his hands. "Keith, I was loving it, but-" Lance sighed. "I got scared."

"Scared? Why? You know I wouldn't hurt you, Lance."

"No, I know, but I'm scared to be with you in... that way. It's just that being so vulnerable to someone who hurt me is kinda scary," Lance admitted. 

Keith pulled his hands away. "You're scared to have sex with me?"

"I'm scared to do anything sexual with you, Keith." 

Keith looked down, crossing his arms. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"But that doesn't mean I don't want to. It's just going to take time. You know, build up trust and such," Lance insisted. "And I don't want to break up with you, I still want to be with you."

Keith nodded and placed and kiss on Lance's nose. "Okay, building up trust it is. And by the way Lance, I'm not leaving you again."

"I'm holding you to that, thanks."

They both laughed a little, and Lance looked to the food. "Can I eat now?"

Keith nodded and they sat on the bed, talking while Lance ate and they watched the sunset together. Lance laid his head on Keith's shoulder, sighing contently as he felt Keith's arm around the back of his waist, gripping his side and pulling him a little closer. 

They weren't perfect. They knew that. But they would work through that to be their own kind of perfect, a perfect that they want to be. They would grow to trust one another, to love through each other's faults and past mistakes. Together, they would find their balance between the two of them, each receiving and giving. 

It would just take a little bit of time. 

But sitting there, on that beach, just the two of them watching the sunset and talking, it seemed like that wasn't an issue.

It seemed like that had all the time in the world.


	16. Intertwining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: HEY BITCHES I'm tired let's get on with it (sorry for the wait)
> 
> hELLO INTERNET oof caps lock was on. aRead the story, it is good. 
> 
> sorry that was my friend she's nice i love her anyways yeah

"Lance, if you touch him I will hurt you," Pidge threatened, glaring at her friend who was currently walking towards her new beloved robot. It beeped, alerted as Lance slowly reached out to touch it. The eyes on the screen narrowed as he got closer. Then Lance just shook his head and took a step away.

"Wow, Pidge, it's as unfriendly as you," Lance chuckled out. The robot beeped angrily at him and took a few steps forward, still getting used to its metallic legs. It was shaped a lot like a dog, which Lance recognized as Pidge's family dog, which Pidge had shown him pictures of back at the Garrison. 

They laid out, their chest to the couch, sighing heavily. Their tank top revealing sunburned shoulders and shoulder blades with peeling skin, their face red as a tomato from the sun as well. Hunk returned to the room, holding one of the bowls from the bar in his hands. 

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked, kneeling down next to them. They sighed, closing their eyes and groaning. Hunk chuckled and replied with, "I'll start applying the cream."

"This is why I never stay on the beach for more than a week," Pidge grumbled as Hunk gently applied the cream he had concocted at the bar. 

"I'm sorry," Lance said genuinely, moving away from the robot to sit next to Hunk on the floor. 

"It's alright," Pidge said softly, looking at Lance through their hair that had fallen into their face. "I'm just happy I could get you guys away from them."

"Them?"

"Keith and Shay."

"Oh." Lance looked down. It was no secret that he and Hunk were spending an awful lot of time with their significant others, and that had left Pidge rather lonely. "We're not trying to avoid you or anything."

"No, it's alright, I get it. You guys can't keep your hands off of them," Pidge said, a mischievous glint in their eye. Lance knew they were kidding, as did Hunk. It was merely a tease. 

But it was also an offer for a game.

"What, I can totally keep my hands off of Keith, more than Hunk can keep his hands off of Shay!" Lance exclaimed. Now he challenged Hunk. 

"I wouldn't be so sure," Hunk replied, glancing over at Lance as he kept applying the cream. 

"Alright, fine, the person who can not touch their partner for the longest gets the nicest sweet whenever they're ready to bang!" Lance said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. 

"Deal!" Hunk and Lance shook hands and Pidge chuckled. They then stood, brushing themself off. 

"Great, I'll go tell them then!" They said, bounding off before Hunk and Lance could say anything. 

"What did we get ourselves into?" Hunk asked.

Lance shrugged. "Some fun?"

***

"This is the least amount of fun I've ever had." 

"Quit your groaning." 

"But he's right there-"

"Lance-"

"I could poke him-"

"Do you want to win?" Pidge asked him, looking at him as Keith sat next to him on the bar stool. 

"Uh, duh," Lance replied. He glanced over at Keith, who was slowly sipping a drink. He raised his eyebrows at Lance, obviously amused at his boyfriend's distress of not being able to touch him.

"Then don't. Touch. Him." Pidge stood, walking away from the bar and rolling their eyes at Lance as he groaned. 

Shiro and Adam walked in, holding hands, which only made Lance want to groan again.

"I want to do that," He mumbled.

"Do what?" Adam asked, sitting next to him at the bar as Shiro went to make him a drink. 

"Hold hands."

"Keith is right there," Adam replied, gesturing to the boy. Then Keith explained the game that Pidge, Hunk, and Lance were playing, and Adam nodded in understanding. "If it makes you feel any better, you can hold my hand. I'm not promising anything else though."

Shiro chuckled from behind the bar. "Just make sure you don't go falling in love with him."

"Nah," Lance replied. "I've got my eyes on someone else."

A blush crawled up Keith's neck and onto his cheeks as he looked away. 

"Well that was adorable, Takashi why don't you say stuff like that?"

"I literally just said he shouldn't go falling in love with you."

"That's not nearly as cute," Adam replied. "But I suppose you're not known for your sweet-talk." 

"Oh, and what am I known for?" Adam leaned across the counter, his face inches from Shiro's. "Why don't you tell me, hm?"

"Are you sensing the sexual tension, because I'm feeling something," Lance whispered to Keith as Shiro and Adam kissed. 

"Yeah, let's go before we hear or see something we don't want to." Keith stood and gestured for Lance to follow him. They made their way to the hot tub, only to find both Hunk and Shay there as well. 

"Oh, hey guys," Hunk said, smiling at them. Lance took off his shirt and settled next to Shay, who was across from Hunk in the hot tub. Keith sat next to Hunk. 

"Hey, how's it going? Keeping your hands off each other?" Lance teased.

"Lance, we have a lot of experience with that. We were apart for a long time." 

"Well, so were Keith and I. We were actually apart for longer, because we didn't fall in love back on the Balmera." Lance sighed into the water as he talked. 

"That's not the point of the game, but okay Lance," Hunk teased, chuckling. Shay giggled a little and looked over at Lance, giving him a smile.

Then the thought dawned on him. A realization. Something he needed to share. He had thought of it a while ago, but had been rather reluctant to share it with the others because of it's severity. It was a life changing topic. 

Lance stood and offered Shay is hand. "My lady, care to accompany me?"

Shay took his hand and climbed out of the hot tub. "Where might we be going?"

"You'll see," Lance replied, intertwining their fingers. Shay shook her head, smiling. Hunk sent Lance a light glare. "Have fun with Keith."

Keith crossed his arms. He shifted, seeming awkward as he glanced at Hunk.

He's such a good boyfriend, Lance thought happily as he looked at him. 

He lead Shay down the beach, past the beds, and even until the steps weren't visible. He started to move into the vegetation. 

"You're not going to kill me right?" Shay asked, a little tense. Lance let go of her hand once they reached the spot. He sat down on the sand, and patted the spot next to him. Shay sat, raising an eyebrow. "Okay then."

"I've been thinking about the bond thing that Slav warned us about. It took me a little bit but as I thought about the concept of Bachelor, Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, they all have the same ending of a sort. 'A bond tied with love, happiness, trust, honesty' is what Slav said. It's the ending, it's the only way we can get out," Lance said, looking at Shay.

"What are you saying?"

"It's not a physical bond-well, it is, in a way- but it's more of an emotional one." 

Realization dawned on Shay. "Something that happens when you love someone, you're happy with someone, you trust and are honest with someone." She looked out to the ocean, closed her eyes, and then back to Lance. 

"At the end of the show, there's always an-"

"Engagement." Shay finished. "But who?"

"I think it's me and Keith, that's why I couldn't follow Allura down the steps after she saw me kiss Keith. I have to marry Keith, or at least get engaged to him."

"But... why?"

Lance shrugged. "No clue."

Shay stared at him for a few more seconds, concern embedded on her face. "What are you going to do?"

"There's only one thing I can do. We have to get out of here, the universe needs us. I have to propose. But I needed to tell someone, and I couldn't be any of the others, they'd tell each other. I hope you can keep a secret." Lance looked to Shay, a trusting look in his eyes.

"So that's why you brought me out here. The cameras don't come out this far. There's no ears or eyes besides our own," Shay said, glancing down at her hands. "I'm honored you chose to share it with me. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thank you," Lance replied. His eyes settled on the ocean. 

"When are you going to propose?"

Lance scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "I have no idea. I can't rush it or else he'll say no, but we also don't exactly have time. We've wasted enough being here." He huffed angrily, picking up some sand and throwing it. "God, I'm nineteen! I'm not supposed to be thinking about engagements! I'm supposed to be drinking and partying and having sex and-"

"Lance," Shay interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay." 

He didn't respond. Instead he looked out to the ocean. The fake ocean. He threw more fake sand, and glared at the fake vegetation. Frustration flooded through him.

Silence.

"Do you not love him?"

"What?" Lance looked back to Shay, sadness in her eyes.

"Keith. Do you not love him?" She asked again. When Lance didn't answer, she sighed. "He always blushes when he's around you, and anytime he talks about you his eyes fill with adoration and happiness. You mean a lot to him. He doesn't say it but I know he loves you. If you proposed, even if he said no, he wouldn't break off the relationship. So, I'll ask again, do you not love him?"

Did Lance love him? Keith Kogane, the boy that captured his mind? 

"Of course I love him. I've been in love with him for years now." 

"Then why do care what age you are? Hunk has said you are of 'adult age' on Earth. I understand that Bob is being difficult, but I suppose I don't understand why you would wait until you're older to marry someone. On the Balmera, as soon as someone was of age, they'd marry someone." As Shay spoke, she grew softer. 

"It's my mom." 

She looked at him. "What?"

"My mom, she married my dad young. She told me it was one of her regrets. She said she lost a lot of living because of it. She told me to wait until I was older."

"But why can't Keith just live with you?" Shay asked. Lance had never asked himself that before. "He'll follow you to the ends of the universe Lance. I'm sure he'll be willing to do anything for you."

"Really?"

"Marriage is a universal thing, I suppose. For my kind, we've always seen it as two souls intertwining, even if you didn't love each other at first, but it seems as if your kind sees it as...prohibiting. The person is meant to live with you, through thick and thin. Their your partner. Your best friend. It's an almost magical bond." Shay had a light blush on her face. It didn't go unnoticed.

"You're of age aren't you?" 

"Yes, I turned a phoeb ago." The sadness returned to her eyes. "A male proposed to me."

"Oh Shay," Lance started, but she shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I refused him. My family wasn't very happy with me. I hadn't seen Hunk in a long time, they thought it was pointless to wait. I realize now that even though I'm ready to marry him, he's not ready to marry me." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Maybe it was pointless to wait. If I did marry him, it would go against our views of marriage. I would prohibit him, I-"

"Shay no, do you realize how much Hunk wanted to come back?"

She sniffed and shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"He wanted to visit. We were just... busy to say the least. You don't prohibit him, you fuel him. You gave him his reason to save the universe. You and your people. Without you, he wouldn't be who he is today," Lance reassured. "You're his other half, Shay. His soul is intertwined with yours. And you helped me realize who is intertwined with mine."

She sniffed again as Lance wiped away a stray tear going down her face. "Thank you."

"He loves you, so much."

"And Keith loves you so much." 

Lance smiled and hugged her. She let out a small chuckle and hugged him back. 

"Don't be afraid to propose to Hunk," Lance mumbled. "He'll say yes."

"I'll tell you what," Shay said as they pulled out of the hug. "If I propose to Hunk, you'll propose to Keith."

"Sounds good to me, but when exactly?"

"Two weeks."

"Two weeks?"

"Two weeks."

Lance nodded and stood. He held his hand out and she took it. They walked back, hand in hand. Their was a peaceful silence, the both of them happy with each other's company. 

"Yay, you're back!" Hunk greeted once they reached the bar. 

As Lance's eyes fell on Keith, he looked back to Shay. She tilted her head at him, and he winked. He walked over to Keith, who raised an eyebrow. Pidge entered the bar area.

"Uh, Lance, you're getting a bit close there," They warned. There was a few inches between him and Keith. 

"I know," He replied. Then he reached out and touched Keith's shoulder, pulling him towards him. Keith went willingly, smiling as Lance's arms fell down to Keith's waist, pulling him in for a kiss. Keith's arms flew up around Lance's neck.

"Yes, we win!" Hunk cheered. Lance ignored him and kept kissing Keith. Pidge groaned, mumbling something about PDA. 

Once they pulled away, Keith breathed out, "Glad you came to your senses."

Lance's eyes softened as he looked at him. He was going to propose to him in two weeks. Two more weeks of fun and soft intimacy until he was thrown into the real world that was full of chaos. He stared at Keith, affection building in his chest as he kissed him again.

"Yeah, me too."


	17. Sunset

"Lance, stop fussing, we're going to be late," Keith said, anxiously standing by the door. 

"We already know who we're giving the roses too," Lance replied, still trying to get his tie to look good. 

"Well I'm not going to give you mine if you don't hurry up!" 

"Alright, I'm coming, jeez." Lance held up his hands in surrender. Keith took his hand and began to walk out of the door, but Lance tugged him to a stop. 

"God, what now-" 

Lance pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Keith stared at him for a minute before allowing his narrowed eyes to soften. 

"You look great," Lance hummed out, kissing him again. "And I was wondering if you wanted to stay in my room tonight?" 

"Really? I thought you didn't want to do anything sexual." 

"Staying with me doesn't mean sleeping with me Keith," Lance replied.

A deep blush cascaded over Keith's cheeks. "Oh, right." Then he tugged Lance out of the room. 

Now, it would be wrong to say that Lance didn't want to do anything. After all, he was a rather stereotypical male when it came to being horny, but he also understood the importance of any type of sex. His mother has reinforced many times when he came of age that sex wasn't just a light thing. Sure it's fun and pleasurable but if you do it enough times, it tends to lose its value. Which is why, despite all the girlfriends he somehow managed to have back on Earth, he refrained from most sexual activity with them. He wasn't perfect. 

Lance's mom had told him that sex was a physical, emotional, and mental bond between two people. In Lance's opinion, that was a rather religious view, but he understood what she meant. During sex, you were at your most vulnerable, which is why you should completely trust your partner in everything. 

However, Lance was sure he was going to initiate something before the end of the next week. 

Despite what he said to Keith just a week ago, his trust for the boy was already returned almost completely, which was both concerning and amazing.

But Keith promised him he wouldn't leave again, and Lance had every right to keep him to that. 

"Ah, there they are," Bob said, grinning deviously at them. Lance knew what that meant. Bob was planning something. His grip on Keith's hand tightened defensively. Keith responded by giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go and moving to his spot. 

Allura went first, giving her rose to Pidge, who was rather surprised and flattered (though they tried to hide it). And Keith was next, who, to no one's surprise, called up his boyfriend. Lance took the rose with a smile and embraced Keith happily. 

"Get a room!" Pidge shouted when the couple kept hugging. 

"Maybe we will!" Lance replied as they pulled away, sticking his tongue out at them, who returned the motion. Keith chuckled and walked back to his spot with Lance. 

And then it came to Adam. He was dressed in a rather dashing tan suit with a dark brown vest and a white button up, as well as a light tan tie. His glasses were pushed up the bridge of his nose, and his hair was swooped up out of his face. He appeared calm, collected, at peace. 

Lance understood why Shiro fell for him. Shiro needed someone like Adam to keep him stable. A soft spoken, gentle hearted, but firm person with a similar sense of humor. 

"Shiro," Adam called out, and the other stepped forward. They shared a soft smile. "Will you accept this rose?" 

"Of course," Shiro took the rose in his hand and pulled Adam in for a hug. "There's something I want to ask you as well." He stepped away from Adam and took in a breath before sinking to the ground on one knee. 

"Shiro," Adam breathed out, then smiling and then faultering. "You don't have to do this." 

"Adam, my biggest regret in my life is leaving you on Earth, thinking that Kerberos is worth more than our relationship. Nothing in this vast universe means more to me then you, and I mean that. I'm sorry for everything, and if you'll have me, I'd like to make you happy again, so," Shiro paused and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. "Will you marry me?" 

"Of course, Takashi," Adam replied. "I wouldn't pass it up for the world." 

Then applause erupted from the Paladins, and Lance looked over at Keith who was simply glowing with happiness at the sight. 

That's going to be us soon, Lance thought to himself. He felt a nervous knot build in his stomach and his smile wavered for a small second. 

Bob floated in the entry way to the rose ceremony room, a knowing look on his face. He made a motion for Lance to follow him with his frog-like hands. 

"I'll be right back," Lance mumbled to Keith, beginning to walk past him. 

His boyfriend caught his arm. "You okay?" Keith glanced at Bob, a glare casting towards the alien. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." He gave Keith a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me, go celebrate with them." 

The samurai hesitated, and then let Lance go, moving to go stand with Adam and Shiro. 

"Hello Red Paladin," Bob greeted with a smile. 

"What do you want Bob," Lance growled out. 

"Walk with me, won't you?" He gestured for them to leave the room. Lance glanced back at the others, and he caught Shay's eye. 

"Don't worry, I'll talk to the Balmeran later." Then Bob grabbed his arm and tugged Lance out of the room. They walked past the bedrooms and into the woods, down a path Lance hadn't seen before. They kept walking until they made it to a small building that gave Lance a rather eerie feeling. 

Bob pushed the old wooden door open and Lance followed him inside, hesitant but willing. There were three black boxes sitting on a table, and a rather old looking alien sitting on the other side. 

"I understand you realize how to escape the game, yes?" Bob asked Lance.

"Marriage, or an engagement at least." 

"Indeed."

"But if Shiro and Adam are engaged why do I need to get engaged to Keith?" 

"You already know that answer Paladin," Bob responded, his eyes darkening and clouding. "Only your bond with Keith will get you out of here. If Shay wants to propose to Keith, hey, more the merrier, but you'll be stuck here forever if you and Keith don't end up together." 

"But why? Why us?" 

"You're soulmates, Lance. He's known it for a long time now,  but your wandering eyes have strayed from where your soul has been leading you. You needed a little push, I was just helping." Bob gave Lance a push towards the table and the other alien. 

Soulmates? Keith was his soulmate? How did Bob even know that? 

"Are you ready, Mr. McClain?" The old alien said in a tired and worn voice. He opened the boxes with shaky hands, taking off the lids to reveal sets of rings. 

Lance looked down at them, sitting on the creaking wooden chair as he peered at the rings. He gulped. 

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Splendid! I'll be waiting outside!" Bob exclaimed happily, leaving Lance with the old man. 

"Let's begin shall we?" The man said, pushing one box at a time towards Lance. "Tell me about your soon to be fiancè." 

"Oh, well, he's rather stubborn and he doesn't smile a lot when you first meet him, but when you get to know him you find he's sarcastic, funny, flirtatious, playful, and-"

"Alright," the man held up his hand to stop Lance. "All of that in mind, which off the styles of the rings sticks out to you." 

Lance looked down at them. Peering at the different rings, all the gems were red, blue, or purple, which made Lance peer up at the old man. With a knowing look in his eye, the man gestured back to the rings. 

There was a set of rings in the right box that stuck out to Lance. They were simple, but elegant. With a shaky breath, he pointed to the row. The man shifted the boxes so it was in front of him. One ring stuck out from them all. There were two silver bands that were intertwining, and in the center, two red and blue stones in the center. Lance didn't know how he didn't see it before, but he knew that it was the one. 

"That one," Lance said, "that's it." 

"Fast decision, are you sure Mr. McClain?" The man replied, pulling the ring out of the box and handing it to him. As he looked at it in his hand, his clarity grew. 

"I'm sure." 

"Would you like one of your own?" 

"The same one?" 

"If you'd like." 

"Um. Sure, just inscribe our names on them so we know which one is which." Lance shifted in his seat and handed the ring back to the alien. 

"Alright, what's your and Mr. Kogane's ring size?" 

"Um, 9, I think, he might be an 8?" 

"Would you like to check, sir?" 

"No, thank you. We can get it resized if It doesn't fit," Lance sighed, rubbing his head. The man stood, causing Lance to stand as well. He held out his hand, which the sharpshooter shook hesitantly. 

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. McClain." 

"But, shouldn't we talk prices?" 

For the first time ever, the man smiled. "For a paladin of Voltron? It's free." 

Then Lance was walking out of the small building, greeting Bob, and making his way back. He was a little dazed from what just happened.

Never, ever, did Lance think he'd have to deal with something like that so soon in his life. He couldn't believe where everything had taken him. In two weeks, he'd be proposing, and with luck, he'd be engaged. 

He'd be married before he hit 21 if they didn't wait to get married before the war ends. 

How did he even end up here? 

"Having second thoughts?" Bob asked after seeing the concern imbedded on Lance's face as he thought. 

"No," Lance replied, turning away from Bob once they reached the housing area. "I'm going to get some rest now. Good night." 

"But your friends are celebrating the engagement! Surely you want to join." 

"Good night," Lance said again, heading towards his room. 

Once he was in there, he leaned against the door, sighing before moving towards the shower. 

Once he was out and dressed in boxers, his towel working through his hair to dry it, he walked out of the bathroom to see Keith already in his bed. He turned his head to look at Lance over his shoulder. 

"Hey," He greeted Lance with a smile. Every doubt and fear that Lance had just go through vanished as he approached the bed, tossing the towel to the ground as he slipped beneath the covers. His legs brushed with Keith's as they shifted, Lance wrapping one arm beneath Keith's waist and the other cupping his jaw before kissing him. 

"I missed you," Lance said, placing another kiss to Keith's lips. Keith hummed in response and leaned into Lance more, hands pressed against Lance's chest. He deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping out between his lips before they parted. Their tongues met in the middle and Lance's heart rate began to speed up. 

He didn't pull away. Instead he pulled Keith closer to him. 

Keith's hands, like last time, travelled everywhere. 

They were in Lance's hair, traveling all the way down his arms and to his waist. They traced up his chest, drawing in small circles, and then going back down to his stomach. 

Lance's muscles clenched at the feeling of Keith's nails on his bare skin, and he let out a moan, which was muffled between their lips. Their bodies began to heat up as Keith moved to straddle Lance's hips. 

As they continued, the sun completed its setting, and with that sunset, began a new time in their relationship. 

If Lance was to propose by the end of the next two weeks, he would have to build up enough courage to do so. 

But being with Keith, feeling all of his doubts melting away as they kissed. He realized that he could do this. 

They could do this. 

They would make it.


	18. She

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: IM BACK :D. This chapter is going to be a little break from Klance because,, lesbians
> 
> Specifically one who you will get to know fairly well in this chapter before more romance begins. this chapter is also a little shorter then the others but-  
> LETS GO LESBIANS  
> Enjoy~

The next morning, like the other weeks, a new person came down the steps.

If they were honest with themselves, they should've expected it. Everyone knew she was the last one to come, but no one knew exactly why. As far as the team was concerned, no one was interested in her and she had no romantic interest with anyone.

But Romelle knew why.

She knew how the team viewed her.

A cute girl with blonde hair and purple eyes. Someone who was happy despite her past trauma. Someone who was strong, clueless maybe, but strong.

They saw someone brave.

But that wasn't what Romelle saw.

She saw someone who couldn't save her family. She saw someone who couldn't save so many Alteans.

And Allura had bonded with her on it.

And that was when the feeling ensued. The softness of a smile, the purity of a laugh, the wholeness of a heart. A new feeling Romelle had never felt before.

One she was afraid of. But she had no doubt in her mind that this whole feeling Allura gave her was special.

And it must be why she was in this so called 'game' that the group spoke of.

But Romelle felt a knot build in her stomach. They were here for romance, and she had never known much about love at the Altean colony. Sure, family love, but that was taken away from her, and she had mostly kept to herself.

Besides, she couldn't find a female Altean who wanted to date her in the colony anyway.

And she was sure Allura wouldn't either.

Now, she was expected to do something about this? What could she even do? Alteans weren't known for being romantically interested in the same sex, although it was not prohibited in their customs.

Well, the customs Romelle knew, the ones that she had been taught at the colony.

She didn't like thinking of the colony. She didn't like thinking about a lot of things. Like how her parents were taken, and her brother not long after. Or how she saw his paled, weakened, tortured form. Or how she watched him die. And how so many others died.

Or how it was Allura's ex-boyfriend's fault. 

"Romelle, try this!" Hunk brought her out of her thoughts as he laid a plate in front of her. 

"What are these oddly shaped white and yellow things?" She asked curiously, sniffing them. Her eyes widened at the strength of the smell. 

"Those would be eggs, and the brown strips next to them is the bacon. Oh, do you eat meat? I probably should've asked that first?" 

"You should take a bite, they're fantastic!" Coran said, giving his official stamp of approval. "Except the so-called bacon wasn't as good as the paladins made it out to be."

"Don't listen to Coran, he doesn't understand the deliciousness of bacon," Lance said, coming up behind Keith and wrapping his arms around his waist. "Either you love bacon or you're wrong."

Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head, leaning into Lance's chest a little. 

"Eat as much as you'd like, ignore them. There's no pressure at all," Allura said, moving to sit next to Romelle. 

With that final encouragement, Romelle took a bite of the eggs. Her eyes widened at the taste and she smiled. The group cheered as they saw her enjoyment. She kept eating as she listened to the others talk about food. They explained how delicious Earth food was, and how there was much more then just eggs and bacon. There was a whole bunch of food from different cultures and countries for Romelle to try. She couldn't wait. 

Romelle adored the bacon and Lance declared her the first Altean bacon lover. Allura hadn't taken a liking to the bacon herself, which made Romelle a little upset, because the more things her and Allura had in common the better. At least, that's how it was in her eyes. She didn't know if she deserved to be allowed to want something with Allura. 

But when she looked at the other couples, she couldn't help but feel a sense of want build in her stomach. How could she not? Love was a beautiful thing that she had been denied too much of in her life. 

Maybe she wasn't deserving, but that didn't mean she didn't deserve a try. 

So as Allura and Pidge lead her to her room, she couldn't help but stare at Allura a little. How could she not? Her eyes, her skin, her voice, her hair, it was all so-

"Romelle, are you listening?" 

"Hm, oh sorry, yes Pidge?" She said with a apologetic smile. 

Pidge raised an eyebrow, their expression curious. "I was saying that we're having dinner in a few quintants, so be down then." 

"Alright! Thank you for the island tour."

"If you need anything, just ask okay?" Allura touched Romelle's arm as she spoke. The feeling was new to Romelle. She had never experienced such gentle touching from anyone besides her own family. It felt foreign yet familiar. Romelle stared at Allura's hand for a moment, trying to remember the last time someone had placed their hand there. She reached up to touch it, laying her hand over Allura's. 

"Okay, thank you." 

Romelle's hand followed Allura's as it left her arm. 

Could she be deserving of such a love?


End file.
